A worker sustained horrific injuries but miraculously escaped with his life after being dragged through a gap no wider than a CD case on a poorly guarded processing machine in Barnsley.

Two companies were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the incident at Compass Engineering, on Whaley Road in Barugh Green.

Barnsley Magistrates' Court heard that Matthew Lowe got caught on a computer controlled conveyer system for moving heavy steel beams, after peering into an outlet point to check a line of work.

The gap on the machine head that Matthew Lowe was forced into after peering into the space to check a line of work

His clothing snagged on the machine and he was forced though an opening just 125mm wide on the machine head, suffering injuries that have caused lasting physical and psychological damage.

His trauma included rupturing his stomach and bowel, breaking his back in two places, shattering his pelvis, and fracturing both hips, his right arm and several ribs.

The HSE investigation into the incident on 19 December 2008 found there was no guarding in place to protect the worker from dangerous moving parts - a serious safety failing for both his employer and the machine supplier, Kaltenbach Ltd, whose UK head office is based at Brunel Road, Bedford.

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The court was told that both parties were responsible for ensuring sufficient guarding was in place. The machine ultimately belonged to Compass Engineering after it was bought from new, but Kaltenbach installed and signed-off the equipment as being fit and ready for use.

HSE investigators also established that Matthew, then aged 23, was inexperienced in operating the machinery after being moved from a different line at the factory because of a lull in his regular workload. However, it was the lack of guarding that was deemed the decisive factor.

Compass Engineering Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in relation to the incident. Kaltenbach Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 6(1)(a) of the same legislation. Magistrates have remitted the case to Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Chris Chambers said: "It almost defies belief that Mr Lowe's body could contort in such a way to fit through the opening it did, and it's even more astonishing that he survived to tell the tale.

"Granted he will never fully recover from the trauma he endured, but he could easily have been killed, and I could easily be commenting on another life needlessly lost because of basic safety failings.

"Compass Engineering Ltd have at least had the good grace to stand by Mr Lowe and provide continued support, but both they and Kaltenbach ultimately failed to protect the young worker when it mattered most.

"Had appropriate guarding been in place the incident would never have occurred in the first place. I hope today's prosecution serves as a firm reminder to all involved in manufacturing and processing of the need to properly restrict exposure and access to dangerous moving parts."

(CD)