Conveyors must have guards

Fines and costs totaling £115,000 have been imposed on an engineering firm and a machine supplier as the result of a man being dragged through a gap no bigger than a CD case by a conveyor.

Matthew Lowe was the man. He survived but suffered a ruptured stomach and bowel, his back was broken in two places, his pelvis was shattered and both his hips were fractured along with his right arm and several ribs.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found there was nothing to protect him from moving parts, which led to the joint prosecution of Compass Engineering in Yorkshire and Germans Kaltenbach, whose UK headquarters are in Bedford.

Compass Engineering Ltd admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £45,000 and ordered to pay £24,000 in costs. Kaltenbach Ltd admitted breaching Section 6(1)(a) of the same legislation. They were fined £30,000 with costs of £16,000.

HSE inspector Chris Chambers said afterwards: “His survival is quite remarkable, but that shouldn’t detract from the fact his life could easily have been lost because Compass Engineering and Kaltenbach ultimately failed to protect him when it mattered most.”

Asbestos is still killing

HSE has issued a warning on managing risks in shop refurbishments after Marks & Spencer and two contractors were found guilty of putting construction workers, staff and members of the public at risk of exposure to asbestos in Reading.

Asbestos is still the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK, with an estimated 4,000 people dying from diseases relating to exposure to it each year.

A refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. It is used to locate and describe asbestos-containing materials in the area where the work will take place.