26/07/2010 - Firm fined over worker's injuries
A Birmingham-based automotive firm has been fined £30,000 after an employee suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a manufacturing robot.
Michael Brewer was working at the Dura Automotive Body and Glass Systems site in Castle Bromwich in May 2008 when the incident occurred.
He was trying to repair a fully-automated industrial robot when he was struck by it.
Mr Brewer was left with a damaged voicebox, and was almost paralysed down one side of his body.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the company had a system of work for accessing the machine that required the machine to be put in manual before entering, rather than on the full automatic cycle.
However, this was not adequately supervised and failed to account for a need to view the operating cycle for the machine from outside.
Inspectors also learnt that viewing the operating cycle from inside the guarded area had become common practice.
The risk assessment the company had produced was not sufficient as it had failed to address the risks from maintenance operations or the risks posed by the industrial robots operating within the guarded area.
At Birmingham Crown Court, the company was found guilty of safety regulation breaches. As well as the fine, it was ordered to pay costs of £20,000.
HSE inspector Edward Fryer said: "This is a prime example of a company failing to address the risks relating to maintenance work.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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