County Durham company prosecuted after work accident

Magistrates have prosecuted a north-east company after one of its employees had a work accident.

Derek Parnaby Cyclones International Ltd, of Chilton Industrial Estate, Chilton, admitted to one breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, as well as one breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 at Darlington Magistrates Court.

The company was instructed to pay costs of £3,266.60 and fined £10,500 over the work accident, which was described as being "entirely avoidable" by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Cain Mitchell.

On April 22nd last year, John Houston was employed as a contractor for the company and was working at their head office in Chilton, when he injured his hand while using a horizontal metal cutting bandsaw.

Mr Mitchell said: "In this case, the bandsaw used by Mr Houston had been in use without a suitable guard for some months, while a second saw had been identified by inspectors as having no guard in place some two years earlier."

In 2009/10 alone, the HSE prosecuted 35 offences in the north-east of England, while local authorities prosecuted seven.

Published by Hannah Carr