A BRIERLEY Hill manufacturing firm has been fined £23,470 after a worker lost a finger when his hand was dragged into machinery.

Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard how a worker at A J Metal Products Limited was injured after his glove got caught in the rollers of a machine used for bending metal, pulling his index finger and thumb into the rolls.

The court was told that despite surgery being carried out at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, his finger could not be saved and had to be amputated.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the company, based in Bevan Road, had failed to ensure measures were taken to prevent access to the moving rollers of the machine and that the movement of these dangerous parts stopped before any part of a person entered the danger zone.

The firm admitted breaching health and safety laws and in addition to the fine, were ordered to pay costs of £1,750.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector, Elizabeth Thomas, said: “This incident could have been easily prevented had measures been taken to control the risk of workers’ hands being pulled into this machine.

“Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”