A Derbyshire window manufacturer has been fined after an employee's arm was dragged into a poorly guarded machine.

Wayne Marshall, 29, of Eastwood, was using a corner cleaning machine at Frame Trade UK Ltd in Langley Mill when the incident happened on 13th May 2010.

A build-up of plastic debris had covered a sensor and prevented the machine from operating correctly. Mr Marshall went inside the machine to clear the sensor of debris, but his sleeve got caught on a high speed cutter that is used to remove surplus plastic.


He suffered serious lacerations to his left forearm, damaged tendons on two fingers and was off work for several weeks. He has since returned to work for a different company.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and found the machine wasn't adequately guarded.

HSE enquiries also revealed that Mr Marshall had not been shown how to correctly isolate the power to the machine.

Frame Trade UK Ltd, of Joshua Business Park, Cromford Road, Langley Mill, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 for its guarding and training failures. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered it to pay full costs of £6,541.

Since the incident the company has bought a new machine with interlocked guards.

(CD/GK)