Rotherham metal fabrication company, MTL Advanced Ltd, has been fined £140,000 after a 17-year-old apprentice sustained a crush injury to their thumb from a metal cutting guillotine during training. The incident occurred on Friday 8 November 2024, highlighting significant health and safety breaches within the company’s apprentice workshop.
Safety failings led to crush injury for 17-year-old
The young apprentice was engaged in cutting sheet metal for welding practice, a routine part of their first-year apprenticeship training within a dedicated workshop. This dedicated facility was designed for first-year apprentices to learn and practise metal fabrication techniques before progressing to the company’s main manufacturing areas in their subsequent years. After several successful cuts, the apprentice’s thumb tragically came into contact with the machine’s clamps, resulting in a severe crush injury. This incident underscored critical lapses in machinery safety and risk management for young workers.
Following the injury, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation. Initial findings, derived from company documents, revealed a substantial gap in the guillotine’s bed, which allowed unrestricted access to dangerous moving parts of the machinery. Alarmingly, the company had failed to identify this significant risk, even after the apprentice’s injury had taken place. This oversight demonstrated a fundamental failure in their risk assessment processes and commitment to workplace safety.
The HSE promptly issued a remote Prohibition Notice to mitigate the immediate danger posed by the unguarded machinery. Subsequent on-site inspections by HSE officers uncovered further serious issues with the guillotine, necessitating immediate corrective actions. The investigation extended beyond the specific machine, revealing a broader pattern of health and safety deficiencies within the Apprentice Training Workshop.
These included instances of access to live electrical parts, additional unguarded dangerous machinery, and systemic shortcomings in the inspection regime for workshop equipment.
MTL Advanced Ltd, based in Darwen, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. At Sheffield Magistrates’ Court, the company was ordered to pay a fine of £140,000, along with full costs of £5,013 and a Victim Surcharge of £2,000. The prosecution highlighted the severe consequences for organisations that fail to adequately protect their workforce, especially vulnerable young apprentices.
Speaking after the court hearing, HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety, Chris Tilley, emphasised the heightened duty of care employers owe to young people and apprentices. He stated that individuals at the start of their careers are often less familiar with workplace hazards, making robust risk assessments and effective safety measures paramount. Inspector Tilley underscored that the apprentice’s injury would have been entirely preventable had the machinery been properly guarded.
The HSE provides comprehensive guidance for employers on managing workplace risks, particularly concerning the safe use of machinery and the employment of young persons in training. This guidance stresses the importance of preventing access to dangerous machine parts and recognising that young workers, being new to the environment, face an increased risk of injury during their initial months on the job. Employers are reminded that proactive measures and thorough training are essential to safeguard this demographic.
This story was originally published by the Health and Safety Executive.
About the Author:
David leads the content delivery team at HSE Network and handles the day to day management of advertorial and editorial content campaigns. David has experience in safety content creation across written and podcast-based mediums and has been working with HSE Network for over 5 years.
