Accident Victim's Arm Chopped Off by Valve

John Hogarth Limited of Kelso has been fined £16,750 in total for its failures that led to a horrific accident that occurred whilst an employee was attempting to clean a rotary valve 4 metres above the ground.

When he slipped, his arm became entangled in the exposed rotating valve, at which point he was suspended as the rotor drew his arm into the mechanism because it had not been isolated from its electrical supply, which was difficult to reach.

His arm was severed and he then fell to the floor suffering severe injuries, permanent disfigurement and impairment as a result.

Access to the valve, which was cleaned each shift, was by a propped up ladder and by walking along a narrow beam and then standing or sitting on a small wooden plank.

A HSE Official commented:  'This tragedy should never have happened but it took this incident to occur before the company assessed the risks associated with the cleaning operation of the valve'.

Print