Cheshire worker narrowly avoids losing arm in workplace accident

A Cheshire factory worker has narrowly avoided a more serious personal injury after his arm was dragged into a conveyor belt at the Amcol Minerals Europe plant in Winsford.

The 56-year-old suffered a broken elbow, crushing injuries to his hand and bruising down the left side of his body, leading to the firm's prosecution for breaching health and safety regulations.

An absence of suitable guard for the conveyor belt was deemed by investigators to have been a contributor to the incident, which occurred while the unnamed worker was helping to clean the system.

Fortunately, the employee has been able to return to work, although was absent for several weeks owing to the extent of his injuries.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigating inspector Carl Jones said: "Amcol should have done more to make sure its employees weren't being put at risk.

"The company has since fitted interlocked guarding around the dangerous parts of the conveyor belt, which automatically cuts the power if it's removed."

Figures from the HSE indicate that an average of 31 workers have died in workplace accidents in the last year across the UK manufacturing sector, while there were around 4,500 major and 19,500 minor injuries reported, keeping employees off work for a minimum of three days or more.

Published by Kevin Round