A Glasgow print and packaging company have been fined £40,000 after a worker’s hand was severely injured following an incident with a machine he was using.
The employee, who had been employed in the company for a significant amount of time was injured when his hand was pulled into an embossing and foiling machine he was working on. A Court in Glasgow heard that he had been attempting to fix the machine after it had jammed. However, he was unable to prevent his hand from being drawn into the machine.
As a result of the workplace accident, the employee was left with severe gashes on the back of his hand and was taken to hospital with tendons exposed. He also suffered several lacerations and fractures on his fingers resulting in him being unable to extend three of the fingers on his right hand.
Although the incident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) they failed to investigate until they visited the premises by chance and discovered the safety failing. Following their subsequent investigation, it was revealed that the company had been at fault for the worker sustaining the injury with health and safety officials failing to install the necessary safeguards required when operating on the machine. The HSE deemed that had the guard been installed the incident would not have taken place, leading to the prosecution of the company and a £40,000 fine.
Failure in Duty of Care
The company admitted to breaching a number of health and safety regulations, however, they also failed in their duty of care to their employee. An employer has a duty to ensure that the conditions in the workplace are safe and fit for workers, and that workers have adequate training when operating on machinery. If you have been the victim of an employer failing in their duty of care and suffered a workplace injury, you will be able to make a personal injury claim. If your injury occurred through negligence or a failure in your employer’s duty of care, you could be entitled to compensation.
Making a Personal Injury Claim
Taking legal action following an accident can be daunting at the best of times; however, we understand that this can be exceptionally more stressful if you are taking action against your employer. Therefore, we aim to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible.
When making a personal injury claim against an employer, it is important to have as much evidence as possible to support your claim. Many believe that if they are involved in a personal injury claim they will be able automatically able to get compensation. However, this is not always the case. Therefore, it is vital that you enlist the help of a skilled solicitor and provide as much evidence to support your claim. Our team of solicitors will require details such as where, when and how your injury occurred as well as information to verify your claim. This could include a report of the accident in the incident report book, witness statements or even a medical report about the extent of your injuries.
Contact Us
If you have been injured in the workplace or have suffered an injury in an accident that was not your fault, you could be entitled to make a personal injury claim. Contact us today using our online contact form.