Firm fined as man severs finger

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The victim severed the first finger of his right hand to the second knuckle and broke his middle finger in the incident at Berkshire Labels Limited in Charnham Park on September 5, 2011.
The injury happened when his hand was caught between two contra rotating rollers on a working machine.
Reading magistrates heard that the unnamed victim was trying to clean a coating roller on a finishing machine, and had removed the roller several times to make adjustments and clean away dried-on primer.
He then tried to brush off the dried primer from the roller while it was in situ on the working machine - but his right hand was caught and pulled between two rollers, including the one he had just fitted.
The man was unable to work for six weeks as a result of his injury and required physiotherapy.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that the machine was missing suitable guarding, and had been for some time.
Had a guard been fitted the incident would have been avoided, the court heard.
The firm, which manufactures self adhesive labels, sticker sheets and security labelling, was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £5,637 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.