As part of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) ongoing drive to reduce accidents in the workplace and minimise employee injury, SmithKline Beecham Plc was today fined £15,000 for breaching health and safety legislation. The prosecution, at East Berkshire Magistrates Court, followed an investigation by the HSE after a worker's thumb was partially severed by machinery.
The incident happened in December 2004 while agency worker Angus Pilcher was operating toothpaste package filling machinery at the SmithKline Beecham premises in Maidenhead. An HSE investigation identified poor safety management on site - and a failure to change a system of work the HSE had previously described as unsafe.
If a safe system of work had been put into place following sensible risk management and advice from the HSE, then Mr Pilcher's injury may have been avoided.
HSE Inspector, Sarah Page, said:
"This was an accident waiting to happen because poor safety management failed to spot complacency and unsafe practices. Promoting sensible workplace safety means identifying workplace risks and involving the workforce in applying proportionate precautions.
"The company had had a similar accident three years before, but failed to pass on HSE guidance to the workforce. This meant some workers incorrectly believed it was OK to perform routine tasks inside a moving machine with the guard doors open; and that this practice was passed on to newcomers including Mr Pilcher."
SmithKline Beecham Plc pleaded guilty to breaching of health and safety legislation. They were fined £15,000 for breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA). The company was also ordered to pay £6,653.08 in prosecution costs.
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