Safety features on machinery are needed to prevent workers from becoming injured or killed. Here is a story that illustrates that the government safety organizations take seriously any manipulations of machinery. Here is the story:
The United Kingdom's Health Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an unannounced inspection at
aluminium recycling firm in March 2011.
The Magistrates’ Court heard several safety mechanisms on two baling machines had been deliberately bypassed and were in a state of disrepair. The machines are used to compress material, such as aluminium cans, for recycling.
The inspection found eight serious faults on the two machines, including the deliberate bypassing of key-control systems to allow access to the compaction chambers, and damage to one of the emergency-stops on a feed conveyor. As a result, employees had been put at risk of serious and potentially fatal injury for a number of months.
The HSE issued a Prohibition Notice to the recycling firm, ordering the machines to be taken out of service until the safety features were repaired. It also issued an Improvement Notice, which required the firm to check regularly that interlocks and emergency-stops were operational on the machines.
HSE inspector said: “These are tremendously powerful machines with a number of mechanical moving parts, which have the potential to cause serious harm. Appropriate safeguarding of these machines is extremely important and should include all operations, including blockage clearance.
“The two baling machines inspected were found to have a significant number of fundamental safety features disabled, a situation of which the company’s management was aware.
“The standards found at the site were unacceptable. Fortunately, no one was injured by the machines, but this prosecution should act as a wake-up call to companies that do not have a robust safety management system, or that put profit before safety.”
The recycling company appeared in court on April 2013 and pleaded guilty to breaching s2(1) of the HSWA 1974. It was fined a total of £31,000 in fines and costs.
The Magistrates’ Court heard several safety mechanisms on two baling machines had been deliberately bypassed and were in a state of disrepair. The machines are used to compress material, such as aluminium cans, for recycling.
The inspection found eight serious faults on the two machines, including the deliberate bypassing of key-control systems to allow access to the compaction chambers, and damage to one of the emergency-stops on a feed conveyor. As a result, employees had been put at risk of serious and potentially fatal injury for a number of months.
The HSE issued a Prohibition Notice to the recycling firm, ordering the machines to be taken out of service until the safety features were repaired. It also issued an Improvement Notice, which required the firm to check regularly that interlocks and emergency-stops were operational on the machines.
HSE inspector said: “These are tremendously powerful machines with a number of mechanical moving parts, which have the potential to cause serious harm. Appropriate safeguarding of these machines is extremely important and should include all operations, including blockage clearance.
“The two baling machines inspected were found to have a significant number of fundamental safety features disabled, a situation of which the company’s management was aware.
“The standards found at the site were unacceptable. Fortunately, no one was injured by the machines, but this prosecution should act as a wake-up call to companies that do not have a robust safety management system, or that put profit before safety.”
The recycling company appeared in court on April 2013 and pleaded guilty to breaching s2(1) of the HSWA 1974. It was fined a total of £31,000 in fines and costs.
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