Steel firm fined £217,000 after worker’s hand is crushed

Cardiff-based steel manufacturing company Rom Ltd has pleaded guilty to breaching safety regulations after a worker suffered crush injuries to his hand. A Health and Safety Executive investigation found the company failed to identify the risks associated with workers manually operating a machine, and that steps were not taken to ensure the machine was correctly guarded.

The worker was removing leftover steel from a machine called the Koch Straightener when he trapped his hand between the rotating rollers inside the machine. He suffered serious crush injuries to his hand and lost the top of his right index finger.

Rom Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, SI 1998/2306, r 11, and has been fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,200.63.

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