Adhesive Tape Machine Accident Sees Worker Lose Thumb
A worker’s thumb was amputated after an accident at an adhesive tape manufacturer.
The unnamed man was just 19 years old at the time of the accident in August 2010. He was employed by Latrave Ltd, who are specialist manufacturers of adhesive tapes.
When the accident occurred he was undergoing training into fixing common problems with the running printing press machine. However, whilst he was doing this, his hand was pulled between the machine’s rollers and he suffered a devastating injury.
He was rushed to hospital after the incident where he had specialist treatment on his hand. Unfortunately, part of his thumb had to be amputated by doctors. The injury meant he had to take close to seven months off work, and it also made many of his hobbies – such as boxing – impossible.
Latrave Ltd were prosecuted for breaking health and safety regulations after an investigation into the accident by the Health and Safety Executive. The investigation found that the machine had a missing safety guard, and that the injured man was being trained in an unsafe way. This included allowing dangerous practices such as fixing the machine whilst it was still running.
The company went before Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court this week and were fined £8,000.
