A grandfather whose hand was cut off while he was repairing a factory machine has said his injuries are so bad he struggles to pick up his granddaughter for a cuddle.

Christopher Wright, 59, from Oswestry in Shropshire, had his hand cut off at the wrist when he was caught in the chain drive of a box-making machine while working a factory in Wrexham.

His hand was reattached during an 11-hour operation but Christopher has been left with lifelong effects.

He said: “It’s impacted on everything I do every day. I can’t go back to being an engineer, and I can’t go back as an engineering manager as I can only type with one finger. I’m on the sick now.

“The effects are life changing, I’m in pain all the time, it hurts whenever I touch something. It’s not something that gets better. I can’t dress myself properly, I can’t do up zips or tie my shoelaces.

“My wife has had to finish work just to look after me. I have a three-year-old granddaughter now and I can’t even pick her up to give her a cuddle.

“Motorbiking was one of my greatest loves. I used to love riding my motorbike and I’ve had to sell it.”

Christopher was repairing the machine when his hand became caught. “It all happened very quickly. I just thought ‘my hand has gone’. I grabbed my wrist and shouted for help and dropped to the floor”, he said.

Riftward Limited, trading as Playford Packaging, which employed Christopher, was fined £115,000 for breaching health and safety regulations.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered the company’s risk assessment was neither suitable nor sufficient as it had not considered the risks created from use of the machine, including during maintenance activities. There was no safe system of work in place to ensure safe isolation and access for tasks such as maintenance.

It also found it was common practice to bypass a gate that kept people and the machine separated, and to stand within the fenced area whilst the machine was in operation, demonstrating a lack of adequate supervision. Employees hadn’t received any instruction for the safe isolation of the machine.

Riftward Packaging, of Ash Road, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Wrexham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £115,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,308 and a victim surcharge of £190 at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on September 14.

Christopher had worked at the packaging manufacturer for 18 months. He clearly remembers the day he lost his hand. He said: “We’d had problems with the belts lots of times, and it was no different to jobs I’d done every week. The machines have guards around them, it’s a barrier to stop you going in. We’d opened the door and gone in. I was stood between the two arms of the machine. I’d done that many times.

“I asked the operator to start the machine as you had to get the machine running as quickly as you could. The chain grabbed my sleeve. The guy on the other side of the conveyor pulled me out from under the machine. They put a tourniquet on my arm and tightened it with a screwdriver. They retrieved my hand from the machine and that went in a bag with me to the hospital.”

A Welsh Air Ambulance took him to hospital in Stoke, and from there he was transferred to Royal Derby Hospital’s Pulvertaft Hand Centre, where surgeons re-attached his hand.

Mr Wright said: “Now I have some feeling in my hand, I have a little wiggle in my thumb and my fingers, but I can’t pick anything up. There’s no bend in my fingers. My hand is very sensitive, if something is a little bit warm, it feels burning hot, and if it’s a cool, it feels freezing cold.”

Mr Wright said that it was all too clear how devastating an impact failing to follow the regulations could have.

He said: “It was the attitude to health and safety there that makes me angry. Companies must stick to the health and safety rules, they have to be adhered to, they have to be followed. If companies don’t follow them, it’s a risk to people’s lives. The cost isn’t worth it. If there had been a proper health and safety policy, and it had been adhered to, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

Speaking after the case HSE inspector Sarah Baldwin-Jones said “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in that safe system of working.

“If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the life changing injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We seek to prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk

2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/

3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

A Northwest manufacturing company has been fined after an explosion led to a reactor bursting open and ejecting a motor through a roof.

Fortunately, nobody was injured as a result of the incident, which happened at CatAlloy Limited based in Widnes on 3 December 2015, during the manufacture of nickel catalyst.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found how air drawn into the reactor mixed with hydrogen, causing overpressure that led to the explosion.

The lid of the reactor burst open and the gearbox and the electric drive motor, situated on top of it, were ejected through the roof of the building after breaking their mountings.

The investigation also found that a residual product had been left in the reactor – which can ignite when exposed to air.

At Liverpool Crown Court CatAlloy Limited of Moss Bank Road, Widnes, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 (1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000

After the hearing HSE inspector Sean Bembridge said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by implementing appropriate control measures and safe working practices.

“At all times during the activation process, a material risk to health and safety existed.

“The defendant had a duty to take measures to ensure that this risk was reduced to the lowest reasonably practicable level.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
3. Further guidance on how to avoid incidents such as this can be found at Reducing error and influencing behaviour – HSG48 (hse.gov.uk) / Designing and operating safe chemical reaction processes – HSG143 (hse.gov.uk)
4. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

An electric motors and gearbox manufacturer has been prosecuted after an employee’s little finger was severed from her right hand.

On 16 September 2019 an employee of Parvalux Electric Motors Limited was injured at their Bournemouth site when she became entangled in an exposed rotating shaft during the final test of a running motor on the production line.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had not identified the risks to their employees from exposed rotating shafts and had not provided suitable guards or safe systems of working.

At Poole Magistrates Court on 8 September, Parvalux Electric Motors Limited of Wallisdown Road, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety Work Act 1974. They were fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Francesca Arnold said: “The defendant failed to ensure the safety of its employees in the testing of electrical motors.

“This incident could so easily have been prevented by simply putting the correct control measures in place and establishing safe working practices; for example, guarding exposed rotating parts and providing safe working practices.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

An electric motors and gearbox manufacturer has been prosecuted after an employee’s little finger was severed from her right hand.

On 16 September 2019 an employee of Parvalux Electric Motors Limited was injured at their Bournemouth site when she became entangled in an exposed rotating shaft during the final test of a running motor on the production line.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had not identified the risks to their employees from exposed rotating shafts and had not provided suitable guards or safe systems of working.

At Poole Magistrates Court on 8 September, Parvalux Electric Motors Limited of Wallisdown Road, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety Work Act 1974. They were fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Francesca Arnold said: “The defendant failed to ensure the safety of its employees in the testing of electrical motors.

“This incident could so easily have been prevented by simply putting the correct control measures in place and establishing safe working practices; for example, guarding exposed rotating parts and providing safe working practices.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

The investigation into the death of a maintenance contractor has been handed over to the Health and Safety Executive.

A 79 – year old man died on September 4 whilst carrying out track maintenance duties at Babbacombe Cliff Railway, Babbacombe, Downs Road, Torquay.

A joint investigation was launched with and led by Devon and Cornwall Police. Whilst inquiries continue, the Health Safety Executive (HSE) will now lead the investigation.

The criminal inquiry will determine if any breaches under the Health and Safety at Work Act have occurred.

HSE principal inspector Trevor Lowe said: “We will draw upon the evidence gathered so far to determine the cause of this tragic incident.

“During the investigation we will continue to keep in touch with the family of the deceased as we send them our deepest sympathies at this difficult time.”

Ends

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. gov.uk