A BRADFORD manufacturing company has been fined thousands of pounds for a safety breach after a worker lost part of their hand in a textile machine.

On March 24, 2021, an employee of Laxtons Limited, based on Sapper Jordan Rossi business park on Otley Road in Baildon, was running a number of textile machines.

When he opened a guard to check on a build-up of fibres, he reached in to remove material and caught his index finger which needed to be amputated.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that one of the machines had a defective interlock device.

This allowed the machine to continue running when the guard, which was located over a pair of in-running rollers and gears, was opened.

Specialist yarn manufacturer Laxtons pleaded guilty to the crime 'Contravene a health and safety regulation' after breaching Regulation 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The company was fined £15,750 and ordered to pay £759 in costs and a £190 victim surcharge at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, June 30.

The business has until July 28 to pay the £16,699 total.

HSE inspector Julian Franklin said: “Machine guarding should be in line with the appropriate standard, and regularly checked.

“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply training staff in the safe and correct way of operating machinery, and regularly checking that safety devices are functioning.”

Owner and Managing Director James Laxton said: "The company was devastated that a valued member of its workforce suffered a serious injury at work.

"As part of its plea, the company accepted that it had failed to ensure the machine safety system could be overridden contrary to the appropriate industry standards.

"The court recognised that the machine had not been stopped at the control panel contrary to the training provided and that the parties agreed that the safety mechanism could not have been overridden by accident.

"The court also took into account the company’s good health and safety record and its efforts to rehabilitate the injured employee who sustained an amputated index finger in the incident.

"The court was also satisfied that the company took its health and safety duties seriously and that this was an isolated incident.

"Since the incident, the company has fitted recommended safety mechanisms on its machines and remains committed to achieving the highest standards of health and safety."