Rotherham metal company fined after apprentice crushes thumb in machine
The 17 year old was hurt during training in November 2024
A Rotherham metal company has been fined £140,000 after 17-year-old apprentice crushed their thumb in a machine.
MTL Advanced Ltd, based in Darwen, admitted to health and safety breaches after the incident in November 2024.
It happened after a young apprentice was cutting sheet metal in the dedicated Apprentice Training Workshop, designed for first-year apprentices to learn fabrication techniques.
The apprentice successfully made several cuts but their thumb was crushed during a final cut when it came into contact with the machine's clamps.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed a large gap in the guillotine's bed, which allowed access to dangerous parts of the machinery.
Despite the incident, the company had not identified the risk.
HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety, Chris Tilley, commented:
“Young people and apprentices are at the beginning of their career and so when it comes to workplace risks, employers must take particular care to assess those risks and fulfil their duty to keep them safe.
"Had this machinery been effectively guarded, this injury would never have happened."