Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 29 November 2013, an employee of Pirelli Tyres Ltd was loading the stripline machine when his left arm was pulled in by a roller. On 31 August 2015 a second employee had his left arm pulled in by the same roller whilst trying to make an adjustment during a production run.
Both incidents occurred at Pirelli’s tyre factory at Dalston Road, Carlisle.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the machine, which was manufactured by Pirelli in 2003, was not properly guarded, despite the first incident.
Pirelli Tyres Ltd of Derby Road, Burton-on-Trent pleaded guilty to two breaches of Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £512,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,820.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Matthew Tinsley said: “Dangerous parts of machinery must be guarded to prevent access. Machines that are built in-house for a company’s own use must meet modern guarding standards, just as if they were going to be placed on the open market.
“This machine should have been appropriately guarded from first use but, failing that, the first incident should have prompted a thorough review of the machine to identify what additional guarding was needed and appropriate action taken.”
Other recent prosecutions brought by the HSE against the UK arm of Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli include a fine of £28,000 fine imposed in 2015 after a 17 year old apprentice suffered serious hand injuries while using a lathe at the company’s Burton-on-Trent plant in 2014.
In 2015 Pirelli was fined £150,000 following the death of an employee in an industrial oven at its Carlisle plant on a fatal accident in 30 September 2012.
A £20,000 fine was imposed in 2013 after an employee at the Carlisle factory trapped and broke his arm in a testing machine.
In the year to 31 December 2016, the company had 1,216 staff and a turnover of £349.8m.
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