An East Lothian sawmilling firm has been fined £20,000 after an
employee's leg became trapped in machinery and broke in three
places.
Polish worker Grzegorz Krzaczek was processing wooden logs into
planks at Windymains Timber Ltd when the
work accident happened on April 4, 2008.
When two planks became stuck in the machine, Mr Krzaczek climbed
onto the conveyor belt and kicked the wood to unblock it, but as
soon as he removed the wood it re-started immediately at full
speed.
His leg was then sucked into the machine and became trapped,
causing the triple leg break and significant nerve damage.
It was common at the time of the incident for the machine to jam
two or three times a day.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed that
Windymains Timber Ltd had failed to fully assess the risks with
operating the drop sorter and safely removing blockages.
They also discovered that there was inadequate guarding in place
to stop workers accessing dangerous parts of the machinery.
Windymains Timber Ltd of Windymains, Humbie, East Lothian
pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974 at Haddington Sheriff Court on December 15. The
fine was reduced from £30,000 to £20,000 due to an early guilty
plea.