A 22-year-old man, who lost a hand while working for a Derry timber company, was only employed by the firm seven weeks previously and had not received sufficient training and instruction on the machine he was operating, Derry Crown Court has been told.
Eglinton (Timber Products) Limited was today fined £8,000, plus costs of £1,500, after pleading guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation.
The incident occurred on 25 July 2013 at the company’s premises in Eglinton when the man became trapped after coming into contact with a rotating cog mechanism of a timber processing machine as he was attempting to adjust the position of the cog.
As a result his hand was instantly amputated by the machine parts.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) found he had started work at the company seven weeks before the incident and had not received sufficient instruction and training in the maintenance and operation of the machine.
It also identified that the company did not always follow systems of work to ensure the safe maintenance of machines.
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