Tameside factory: Large fine after woman has hand amputated

The incident happened on Thursday, July 30, 2020 when a 23-year-old employee was operating a blown line machine at Vita Cellular Foam’s Dukinfield premises on Fifth Avenue.

The company, now based in Middleton, was fined more than £180,000 after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation, with investigators saying the incident could have been ‘easily avoided’.

Founded in Oldham in 1949, the company moved its headquarters to Middleton in 1955.

The incident occurred after a machine became blocked with fibres.

After a colleague at the plant isolated it from power, a 23-year-old female employee unscrewed a Perspex window to identify and remove the blockage.

As she began to remove the fibres by hand, the machine began to move again due to residual power, drawing in her right hand.

The incident meant that the employee had to have three fingers removed, and was then required to have further surgery for her entire right hand to be amputated.

In a victim personal statement provided to Manchester Magistrates Court, the woman, who is now 25, said the incident had completely changed her life.

“Before the accident, I was right-handed,” she said.

“I have now had to learn to do all of my daily activities again, including writing.

“This is a constant and daily reminder of what has happened to me and the ongoing impact it will have.”

The woman had to have four separate operations in a six-week period, as well seeing trauma specialists for months after the amputation.

“The accident has deeply affected my life,” she added.

“I have a lot of triggers and am frightened easily by loud noises and bangs.

“I have nightmares at least once a night and don’t like talking or hearing about what happened.

“The accident has completely changed who I am as a person and I am not able to complete so many of the activities I could before, such as walking my dog.

“I am the complete opposite of the person I was before.”

An investigation by the HSE found the company had no safe system of work in place for removing blockages from machines even though they were known to happen occasionally.

The Perspex window had been added to the machine some years previously to allow engineers and operators to identify blockages, but had not been fitted with an interlocking guard, so moving parts could be accessed through removal of the screen when the machine was running.

The machine became clogged with fibres (Image: HSE)

Risk assessments had not been reviewed since the window’s addition to include the possibility of employees using it to remove blockages, or to ensure that any excess energy in the machine was dispersed before it was accessed.

According to the HSE, the company should have ensured that tools were not readily accessible in order to remove the Perspex window.

Vita Cellular Foams (UK) Ltd of Oldham Road, Middleton, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £180,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,337.00 at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, January 17.

The machine (Image: HSE)

HSE inspector Lisa Bailey said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided.

“Employers should ensure they carry out an assessment of the risks and put in safe system of works for the operation of all machinery, particularly when clearing blockages.

“Employers should also ensure that adequate information, instruction and training is provided to all who use it.”

A spokesperson for The Vita Group said:  “The safety of colleagues is our number one priority and we deeply regret that the incident occurred at our site, despite the health and safety measures that we have in place.

“We’ve been working hard to learn from this experience and implement further improvements to our safety procedures.”

Correction 27/1: The HSE originally stated this incident occurred on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, this has since been corrected to Thursday, July 30, 2020.