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PHW · Manufacturing · 2026-01-29

Exwold Technology Limited fined £50,000 after an employee's fingers were severed by unisolated rotary blades

Hartlepool, County Durham · Teesside Magistrates' Court

What happened

An employee's fingers were severed when rotary valve blades were not properly isolated from the power supply during a machine start-up between cleaning operations. Around ten weeks later at a different site, another employee was struck by a forklift truck whose driver's view was obscured by the load being carried.

Injuries: Four fingers severed in the first incident; the second employee was struck by a forklift truck.

The breach

Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (two breaches)

The sentence

  • Fine: £50,000
  • Costs: £10,492
HSE inspector

“Workplace transport and machinery guarding incidents continue to have life-changing consequences for those who are simply carrying out their day-to-day jobs.”

What would have prevented it

Machinery must be properly isolated before intervention, and forklift operations need segregation or clear sightlines where loads obscure the driver's view.

How PHW helps

The machines, packs and quizzes that fit this kind of site.

Sector

Training and evidence for manufacturing sites

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Safety pack

Workplace Transport Safety

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Machine

Counterbalance forklift

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Quiz

Could a visitor on your shop floor check an operator's training record in under a minute?

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Source: HSE press release, Hartlepool chemical manufacturer fined £50,000 after two serious incidents within three months