Company prosecuted after 'entirely preventable' accident at Halesfield site
A plastic packaging manufacturer has been fined £60,000 after a worker at its Halesfield factory in Telford suffered a severe crush injury when their hand was pulled into the rollers of a laminating machine.
The incident occurred on 17 January last year when a laminator operative and shift supervisor was cleaning rollers after a production run. While using rags to clean the machine one rag became trapped in the in‑running rollers and drew the worker’s left hand into the nip point, crushing it up to the wrist. A colleague immediately activated the emergency stop, which allowed the victim to free their hand. They were taken to hospital where they underwent two operations, spent four nights as an inpatient and later required physiotherapy to rebuild strength.
HSE inspectors described the injury as “entirely preventable”.
HSE finds multiple safety failings
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive concluded that Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd had not put in place effective measures to prevent access to the machine’s moving parts during cleaning. Inspectors found that the company had failed to provide a fixed guard to stop access to the in‑running roller nip point and that the written risk assessment and safe system of work were not suitable and sufficient.
The HSE also highlighted that the cleaning task had not been properly assessed and the risk of an operative being drawn into the machine while cleaning had not been identified. The safe system did not give clear instructions about use of the foot pedal which can rotate the rollers during cleaning.
Local consequences and wider safety questions
The prosecution and fine will be of concern across Telford’s industrial community, particularly at Halesfield where manufacturing and packaging businesses employ large numbers of local people. The HSE action follows another recent enforcement involving the same firm: the company was handed a substantial fine in connection with a death at a separate site in Derbyshire within the last year.
Workplace safety campaigners say the case underlines the importance of mechanical guarding, suitable risk assessments and clear safe systems of work for housekeeping and cleaning tasks on equipment with exposed rotating parts. For operators of laminators and similar machinery the risks are well known and guidance stresses that guarding and isolation procedures must prevent access while cleaning or maintenance is carried out.
- Injury: left hand crushed up to wrist while cleaning rollers (17 Jan)
- Medical impact: two operations, four nights in hospital, physiotherapy
- HSE findings: lack of a fixed guard; inadequate risk assessment; unclear instructions for foot pedal use
- Penalty: company fined £60,000
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 17 January (previous year) | Worker’s hand drawn into laminator rollers during cleaning |
| Immediately after | Co‑worker used emergency stop; victim taken to hospital |
| Subsequent | Two operations, four nights as inpatient, physiotherapy |
| HSE investigation | Found guarding and safe systems inadequate |
| Prosecution | Company fined £60,000 |
The fine is intended to reflect the seriousness of the breach and to deter similar failures. The HSE has powers to bring prosecutions where employers fail to take reasonably practicable steps to protect staff from hazardous machinery. Local employers will be watching the outcome closely; any business that operates rotating equipment must ensure guarding and safe cleaning procedures are robustly in place.
For employees, the case is a reminder to raise concerns about machinery safeguards and to follow lock‑out/tag‑out or isolation procedures where provided. For local residents who work in Telford’s manufacturing sector, the incident underlines the importance of effective oversight and enforcement to prevent avoidable harm.
Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd has previously faced enforcement action in relation to a death at one of its workshops in Derbyshire within the past year, highlighting a pattern of serious safety incidents at different sites operated by the firm.
