A Bolton pallet manufacturer which went into liquidation last year has been convicted for health and safety offences.
Frank Hill Ltd was convicted of health and safety offences after a factory worker’s fingers were cut off by a rotating saw. Manchester Crown Court fined the company a nominal £2 as the company ceased operations last summer.
The accident, in 2010, resulted in a 27-year-old worker losing three fingers on his left hand, down to the second knuckle while working at Blackrod-based pallet firm.
The firm was prosecuted after a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found there was no guard on the saw and the worker had not received training on how to use it.
The court heard the worker had been holding a large piece of wood while his colleague cut through it, when his hand caught on the rotating blade.
When an HSE inspector visited the site, she immediately issued two prohibition notices preventing the saw and another similar saw from being used until guards had been put in place.
Frank Hill Ltd, which formerly traded as IPC Services, was found guilty of two health and safety offences.
“The company should have ensured guards were in place on all its circular saws, and shouldn’t have allowed any employees to work on the machines without training,” said Sarah Taylor, HSE investigating inspector.
