A major shipbuilder has been fined £400,000 after a workman suffered serious injuries whilst carrying out repair work on the 20 July 2015.
Liverpool Magistrates Court heard the workman was repairing a lathe when he noticed that the shafts and couplings were dirty and cleaned the parts by wrapping an emery cloth around the lead screw with the lathe under power. The rotating machine pulled him to the moving parts.
A system of lock off was outlined in the written health and safety management system but had not been properly communicated to employees or implemented.
No lock off + poor control and management
The company pleaded guilty to a breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £400,000 And ordered to pay costs of £7,683.
Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Karen Fearon said:
“The Defendant had developed a Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) but failed to ensure that the system had permeated all parts of the organisation. If the HSMS had been followed this accident may not have occurred.”
