Carpenter loses finger in site saw horror

Grant Prior 10 years ago
Share

A contractor has been fined for serious safety failings after a teenage carpenter was injured when his fingers were cut in the moving parts of a flip over saw.

George Warren Heath, then aged 19, suffered injuries to three fingers, one being amputated at the middle joint, and another was cut through to the bone.

One month after the incident Heath was attending physio every week.

Heath, a carpenter and employed by Sugar Construction limited on 7 July 2014, was part of a team refurbishing a house.

He was preparing wooden door stops to be installed onto door frames.

A length of door stop was too wide and required narrowing. To do this Heath decided to saw a thin strip off the entire length – a process known as ‘ripping’.

To do this he used a Flip Over Saw, provided on site by Sugar Construction Limited.

The saw did not have the guard or riving knife fitted when Heath started to saw, and as he cut his fingers came into contact with the blade.

An HSE investigation found that the failure was to ensure that protective devices including the guard and protective appliances such as push sticks were taken to prevent access to the dangerous part of the machinery.

Weymouth Magistrates’ Court was told that while Sugar Construction had provided a guard with the saw, the guard was not in place at the time of the accident.

Other protection appliances such as a push stick were not available.

In order to flip the saw over from its chop saw mode to its table saw mode, the guard had to be removed, but was never replaced.

Sugar Construction Limited of Lyme Regis, was fined £1,500 with full costs of £1,543, after pleading guilty to a safety breach.

Following the case, HSE Inspector James Powell said:  “This incident should never have happened and other workers that had used the saw had also been at risk.

“This case emphasises the need for employers to ensure that equipment is properly maintained to ensure that dangerous parts of the machinery cannot be accessed and that a risk assessment is carried out covering all foreseeable uses and operations of the work equipment.

“Table saws should not be used unless the appropriate safety devices and protection appliances are used. Workers should be provided with the information, instruction, training and supervision as is appropriate with the tool that is being used.”

Latest news

BESA audit blitz sees 14 specialist contractors suspended

Building engineering services trade body cracks down on standards
14 hours ago

Engineers pull-off 220m HS2 viaduct slide in 3 days

Five-structure Northants sequence ends with 1,300t deck slide - video
2 minutes ago

Managing Director moves to advisory role at Shufflebottom

Alex Shufflebottom steps-down after acquisition by Embrace
19 minutes ago

JV North unveils winners of £500m housing blitz

Consortium gears up to deliver 3,000 new homes across North West
15 hours ago

Partnerships builder Keepmoat names new chief executive

Ian Hoad to take reins as Tim Beale steps down after eight years
17 hours ago

Ballymore to transform former Crossrail construction site

Limmo Peninsula will be new neighbourhood in East London
20 hours ago

Building Safety Regulator chief to step down

Search on to find replacement for Philip White
24 hours ago

Amazon unveils £40bn investment plan for UK sites

Four new fulfillment centres confirmed as part of huge spending package
23 hours ago

Glass bridge picked for Queen Elizabeth II memorial

New bridge and gardens will honour late Queen in the heart of London
23 hours ago

Mears set to beat profit forecasts after strong first half

Maintenance growth and 100% contract retention drive bullish outlook for 2025
23 hours ago

Bouygues lands London 150 key worker homes job

Affordable flats planned near London Bridge in landmark council scheme
1 day ago

Hebden Bridge £68m flood defence job heads to market

Market engagement opens on four-year Environment Agency scheme
1 day ago

Housing plans go in for abandoned theme park

Story Homes to transform former Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire
24 hours ago

Morris & Spottiswood sees turnover and profits surge

Growth at M&E division helps power record numbers
1 day ago

Redundancies loom at M&E giant Dalkia

Consultation starts at Southern region
2 days ago

Land deal unlocks East London £750m health hub plan

Queen Mary University secures site to build Whitechapel life sciences complex
2 days ago

Aureos bags £45m Howden Relief Road job

Former Keltbray infrastructure business to start construction next month
2 days ago

Four injured after partially built floor collapses

Court hears how steel beams were cut at the same time Acrow props removed
2 days ago

Careys directors sacked after £4m job-loss showdown

Pair win unfair dismissal case after being accused of "tickling each other’s bollocks"
5 days ago

Octavius wins £31m A38 corridor upgrade

North Somerset picks firm for key trunk road improvement scheme
2 days ago

Danny Sullivan Group hits back over HS2 allegations

Labour supply giant confident it is "fully compliant with all tax obligations"
5 days ago

Bid race takes off for £500m MAG airport small works deal

Nine-lot framework to cover civils, building and M&E jobs up to £5m
5 days ago

Mace director joins Wates as Chief Commercial Officer

Pat Fitzgerald to lead commercial strategy at Wates
5 days ago

Rob Perrins steps up as executive chair in Berkeley shake-up

Long-serving chief steps up to lead housebuilder’s next growth phase
5 days ago

Competition watchdog turns attention to civil engineering

Competition and Markets Authority launches study into road and rail delivery
6 days ago

Timber imports rise for first time in four years

Softwood volumes and prices lead rebound as housing outlook improves
5 days ago

10-Year Infrastructure Strategy published

Full details as Government pledges £725bn of funding over the next decade
6 days ago

Korean firm buys part built Hackney job from failed Elements Europe

Work can now restart on 21-storey hotel and office development
6 days ago

Mark Wild radical reset plan to rescue HS2

Senior manager bonuses scrapped and non-permanent labour cutback
6 days ago

HS2 supply chain fraud claims spark ministerial probe

Transport secretary pledges one-year reset for HS2 to end 'litany of failures'
7 days ago