An Essex packaging company has been fined after a worker's hand was injured when it became trapped between the rollers of a glueing machine.
Line supervisor, Lynda Jackson, 57, of Harold Hill, Essex was using cleaning paper to dry machine parts when the paper got caught between two glue rollers and her right hand was pulled into the machine. The tips of two of her fingers were severed.
The incident happened on 22 March 2011 at CBT Packaging Ltd's manufacturing plant in Paycocke Road in Basildon.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that although the company's stated policy was not to clean the glueing machine while its rollers were rotating, it was standard practice to ignore this.
Basildon Magistrates' Court was told staff were not given adequate training in how to clean the machine safely, and the guard it had been fitted with was not well enough maintained to prevent access to the rollers.
Ms Jackson was off work for approximately two months but has been told the nerve damage she suffered to her fingers may be permanent.
CBT Packaging Ltd. whose registered office is in High Street, Edgware, Middlesex pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined a total of £12,000 with costs of £4,971.45.