A submarine maintenance company has been fined after a labourer crushed his hand while working on a submarine refit project at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth.

The 19 year-old worker had to have plates inserted to repair broken bones after his right hand was drawn into the rotating bar of a drum rolling machine while working for Thales Underwater Systems on 22 April 2012.

Plymouth Crown Court heard that the labourer had been working on the exterior of a submarine prior to the incident. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Thales Underwater Systems did not conduct any risk assessments in relation to the operation of the machine.

Thales Underwater Systems, of The Bourne Business Park in Addlestone, Surrey, was fined a total of £50,000 and ordered to pay £15,236 in costs after pleading guilty to single breaches of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

“This incident could have been prevented had the guard not be removed from the drum roller,” said HSE inspector Georgina Speake. “Thales Underwater Systems clearly failed to ensure the safety of its employees, with painful consequences for the injured worker.”

Source – InsiderMedia