A few days ago, it emerged that Tata Steel had been fined over £2m, after two serious incidents occurred at its Northamptonshire site. Both of these involved workers sustaining severe hand injuries, as a result of avoidable contact with dangerous machinery.
The first of these incidents involved a 26 year old worker, who lost the middle and ring fingers on his left hand, after trying to clear a blockage on a manufacturing line with unsuitable guarding. The second incident occurred in 2015, when a 52 year old lost part of his little finger after it became caught in a lathe, again, due to unsuitable guarding on the machinery.
Although a spokesman for Tata was quoted as stating that health and safety is the company's most important priority, serious questions must be raised after two near identical incidents took place within months of one another, on the same premises no less! It is clear from the evidence found upon inspection by the HSE, that there was an obvious neglect of duty in terms of properly identifying the serious risks posed to Tata workers, as well as a failure to resolve this issue after the first incident occurred.
It shouldn't take a serious injury or fatality to make a company take their health and safety procedures seriously, and one would hope that it wouldn't take multiple incidents for a company to implement serious changes. Perhaps the only consolation going forward, is that other companies will be struck by the severity of the issue, and therefore implement better prevention strategies in their own workplaces.
For anyone concerned with avoiding the mistakes made by Tata, remember to follow a simple but impactful health and safety strategy:
- Educate - Ensure that staff are thoroughly trained before operating dangerous machinery, or performing hazardous tasks without supervision.
- Inform - Make staff aware of the risks involved in their operations, displaying safety signs and warnings to keep the message fresh in people's minds.
- Protect - Ensure that the correct safety features are in place to minimise potential risks, and provide the required personal protective equipment.
- Asses - Regularly evaluate the level of safety in your workplace, and identify any potential risks that require preventative action.
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