Tissue Firm fined after employee suffers
A Neath toilet roll manufacturer has been fined after a worker suffered a serious injury while operating machinery at their premises.
The 43 year old was employed by the company as a core operator, and was assisting his shift supervisor in clearing a wraparound of paper from the steel roller of a rewinding machine - used to layer the tissue paper.
A compressed air gun was used to cut the wraparound of paper and pull it free from the roller. The shift supervisor was at the controls of the rewinding machine and pressed the 'jog' button - which moves the rollers around at a reduced speed.
The employees hand was caught between the upper and lower rollers of the machine. Three fingers of his left hand were crushed resulting in permanent damage to his hand.
The investigation found the company had failed to take effective measures to prevent access to a dangerous part of machinery.
The company pleaded guilty to the charges and were fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £1365 costs.
Updated on 9/13/2011