A COMPANY was fined £66,000 after one of its employees needed surgery when one of his hands became caught and he was pulled into a machine.

Kay Premium Marking Films (KPMF) Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) over failings at its site at Pen-Y-Fan Industrial Park, Crumlin, Caerphilly.

Newport Magistrates’ Court heard how the worker suffered a broken forearm and elbow as he was trying to clean glue off a roller on a machine.

A HSE spokesperson said: “The employee’s hand became caught between two driven rollers and he was pulled into the machine.

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“His hand became caught within the mechanism of the machine and he sustained a broken ulna, radius and elbow.

“As a result of the incident, the employee underwent surgery to have his arm pinned and plated.

“At the time of the incident the machine had no guards in place and there was access to dangerous parts of the machine including the driven rollers whilst it was running.”

KPMF, who manufacture self-adhesive vinyl films, admitted two Health and Safety at Work Act offences which were committed on July 25, 2019.

The HSE investigation found that at the time of the incident there was access to dangerous parts of the machine, including the driven rollers whilst it was running.

It also discovered that although the firm had a risk assessment in place, it failed to identify the dangerous parts of the machine and the control measures required to prevent access to, or stop the movement of, those dangerous parts before a person could enter the "danger zone".

KPMF, of Fleet Street, London, were also ordered to pay £9,998.40 costs and a £181 surcharge.

The total penalty, including the fine, is £76,179.40.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Seren Linton said: “This injury could have easily been prevented had the risk been identified.

“Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to identify and minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”