A company has been fined after one of its workers had to have both of his arms amputated after being dragged into a cement mixer. David Sharp and his business, David Sharp Studio Limited, which is registered in Nottingham, will have to pay a combined total of more than £33,000 following the incident on August 8, 2018.
The employee was using a cement mixer on company premises in Nottingham Road, Alfreton, as he prepared concrete. He then reached inside to grab something inside the mixing pan, but he was "dragged almost entirely into the mixer" after the paddles made contact with him, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.
The incident meant his left arm had to be amputated at the upper arm, and his right arm at the forearm. He also sustained injuries to his ribs, face, back and shoulders, Derbyshire Live reports.
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An investigation by the HSE found the company had "failed to take sufficient steps to guard against the risk of entrapment" in the machinery. The man involved in the incident had had to operate the mixer with the lid open while standing next to it, without guards or the option of interlocking the machine to reduce the risk of injury.
The HSE also found that the employee had not been sufficiently trained, instructed or supervised to ensure he knew safe procedures for working near or on the mixer. Crucially, the investigation found that Sharp was "aware of the unsafe conditions and allowed them to continue". According to information on Companies House, Sharp resigned as a director of the company on June 23, 2022.
HSE principal inspector Samantha Farrar said: "This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply providing effective guarding to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. Companies and individuals should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards."
The business, registered at White House, Clarendon Street, Nottingham, admitted breaching Regulation 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and was fined £1,000. Sharp himself, whose address is also listed as Clarendon Street, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act, and was fined £2,000, disqualified from being a company director for seven years and was ordered to pay full costs of £30,802.35 following a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on June 13, 2022.
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