02/05/2025
The UK Government is considering some significant amendments to building regulations which will impact BWF Members and the wider woodworking and joinery manufacturing industry. A consultation of ...
A Gloucestershire-based woodwork firm was fined £8,000 after a worker lost three fingers whilst using a table saw to cut tongue and groove boards.The judgement occurred only a few days before a timber gate manufacturer was also fined heavily after a similar incident on an inadequately guarded circular saw
Stroud Magistrates Court heard that on the 22 September 2014, the 44 year-old agency worker was instructed to use the table saw by his supervisor to cut tongue and groove boards being used to make bird table bases. The employee injured his left hand on the table saw, losing the top of his middle, ring and little fingers.
The investigation, carried out by the HSE, found that the Gloucester-based firm (who were not BWF members) had not trained the employee in a safe system of work for making the products, failed to supervise the work and found that the table saw (pictured) was not effectively set up. The business was fined £8,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was ordered to pay £1,142 in costs.
In a separate judgement that took place a few days later, a timber gate manufacturer in Daventry was been fined after a young employee lost two fingers on his left hand while working on machinery.
The 27-year-old employee was pulled into the rotating blade of an inadequately guarded circular saw which was not fitted with a riving knife or ‘take off’ table when the incident happened on 25 July 2014.
Northampton Magistrates’ Court heard on 11th August that the employee had been working on the saw alone and was both feeding and removing large pieces of timber from the saw when a piece of wood snagged and pulled his left hand into the blade.
The employee’s left hand was severely injured, and his little finger and ring finger were subsequently amputated.
HSE found the company had failed to ensure that required safety features were installed on the machine and had not maintained the condition of the top guard on the saw. This lead to the company (who were not BWF members) being fined £10,000 with costs of £1000.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Jenna McDade, said: “Had the company taken suitable measures to ensure workers did not come into contact with the rotating blade, had the saw been properly guarded and fitted with relevant safety features and had employees been provided with adequate training, this young man would not have lost two of his fingers.”
The safety of your workers is of prime importance. The BWF's comprehensive 91 page Guide to Health and Safety in the woodworking industry includes guidance on young persons in the workplace and with HSE recovering costs at a rate of £1000/day for inspections, during which a breach is found, BWF has prepared a number of resources to help you mitigate Health and Safety risk such as:
– A 12 point ‘Health and Safety: the essentials’ checklist to help prevent you getting caught out and advice on what HSE field inspectors are looking for in our Health and Safety publications.
– Our selection of woodworking machinery safety cards.
– Health and Safety training – including machine refresher training, Health & Safety management qualifications and more.
– As a member you can also ring our Health and Safety helpline on 0844 209 2610.
– Our Health & Safety Hero Campaign resources include short videos you can show to your staff, presentations you can adapt to your own company's health & safety processes and safety essential checklists you can give to each member of staff. There will be a new topic launched each month.
– The BWF Health & Safety Hero Award, kindly sponsored by Didac, recognises an individual or collective effort to improve Health and Safety Performance in your business. Entries for this year's awards will close on 11th September 2015.
