Ask The Expert: Council fined as school technician loses finger

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Council fined as school technician loses finger

A local authority has been sentenced after a worker lost his finger while operating a machine.

Adi Soday, a technician at The Forest School in Horsham, lost his right index finger when it was sliced off by a circular bench saw on 13 June 2022.

The 29-year-old, who worked in the design and technology (DT) department, had been operating the saw to cut pieces of wood that were set to be used for a DT lesson.

While pushing one of the sheets of wood through the saw, Mr Soday, who was 27 at the time, felt a pain in his right index finger and immediately turned off the machine.

As he looked down, he saw his finger lying on the bench.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found West Sussex County Council, the local authority in charge of the school, failed to ensure Mr Soday was trained to use the bench circular saw. Mr Soday had used the saw many times but had not been trained on how to use it safely.

West Sussex County Council pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The local authority was fined £16,000, ordered to pay £4,294.60 in costs and a victim surcharge of £190 at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 3 July 2024.
Taken from HSE Media Centre

Matt Ellis, Head of Health & Safety at Stallard Kane

‘Tragically, it is possible that this injury could have been prevented if the technician had undergone proper training, by a competent person, on how to use the machine. 

A suitable risk assessment would have highlighted that a safe system of work needed to be in place and that training was required. This would also have assessed whether the method of pushing materials through the saw was safe; in certain environments, the use of a push stick may be more appropriate.’

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