A Birmingham engineering company has been fined after a man's finger was severed in a tube bending machine.
Robert Cuzick, 53, from Birmingham was working at Hydrapower Dynamics on 24 January 2011 when he put his hand on the machine's clamping arm to restart it.
However, the unguarded metal arm suddenly moved downwards, trapping Mr Cuzick's left hand middle finger, cutting it off just above the second knuckle.
Birmingham Magistrates' Court heard that doctors were unable to reattach his finger and he was off work for more than a month.
The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) investigation into the incident found that dangerous parts of the computer numerically controlled tube bending machine were unguarded.
Although Hydrapower Dynamics' own risk assessment had identified this hazard, the company had taken no action to protect employees using the machine.
Hydrapower Dynamics Ltd, of St Marks Street, Birmingham, pleaded guilty today to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 costs.