A firm in Scotland has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after one of its employees was seriously injured by a piece of machinery.

The unnamed man had been filling a Mobile Explosives Manufacturing Unit at Orica UK in Muirside when the accident occurred in February 2008.

He had been pouring emulsion into the machine when it suddenly blocked. As he reached in to clear the blockage, it unexpectedly started again and the man lost two of the fingers on his right hand.

An investigation by HSE officers found that the plant’s equipment was not properly guarded and there was no safe way to clear blockages that did occur. Orica UK was fined £10,000 for breaching health and safety regulations.

HSE Inspector Colin Hutchinson commented: "This was a serious and avoidable incident. All companies conducting similar operations must learn from this incident by making sure their safety procedures are both sufficient and rigidly followed."

According to statistics published by the HSE, 299,000 reportable injuries occurred at work between 2007 and 2008, resulting in the loss of six million working days.

A pet food manufacturing company has been fined £10,000 after one of its employees was crushed to death in a piece of machinery.

John O’Connor, 38, had been working at the Butcher’s Pet Care factory in Northamptonshire and entered a palletising machine to clear a blockage.

However, when he moved the can of pet food that had become jammed, the fully-automated machine restarted.

Mr O’Conor was pulled into its workings and was crushed to death.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that staff should not have been able to access the moving parts of machines, which should all have had guards in place.

Butcher’s operations director Philip Thompson was fined for breaching work equipment regulations and was ordered to pay a fine and compensation.

HSE inspector Neil Craig said: "This was far from being an isolated incident. The unfenced gap between the stair rails had been there for nearly two years."

According to HSE statistics, there were 35 fatal injuries to workers in manufacturing between 2007 and 2008.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has fined and prosecuted a company that admitted exposing its workers to hazardous fumes from soldering equipment.

Employees at Turbo Power Systems’ plant in Gateshead had been working for up to five-and-a-half hours a day with rosin solder flux, the fumes of which are known to cause asthma.

The exposure occurred between May 2007 and May 2008 and many employees began to suffer problems with their respiratory health.

As a result, the HSE took the company to court for breaches of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. It was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay costs after admitting to safety failures.

HSE inspector Andrea Robbins said it had been "entirely foreseeable" that inappropriate risk assessment and control of chemicals would put the workforce at risk.

Rosin is a natural product which comes from pine sap. Fumes from rosin solder flux are a well-known cause of occupational asthma.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must provide safe working environments after a man was killed in a forklift truck accident.

Shaun Porter, 31, was working at Trackline (International) in Northampton in 2007 and was attempting to move a load of material from one side of the factory to another.

There was a vehicle frame in the gangway and although Mr Porter lifted the load to avoid it, he clipped the frame with his vehicle and it overturned.

The victim was crushed and died instantly.

An investigation by the HSE discovered that there was no official gangway in the factory and no marked access routes for employees to use.

HSE inspector Jo Anderson said: "Companies must understand the importance of managing transport in the workplace in order to prevent a tragedy like this happening again in the future."

Additional statistics from the organisation show that there were 35 fatal injuries to manufacturing workers in 2007-08, as well as 5,097 reported major injuries.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating following an incident in which 21 people were injured on a fairground ride in Blackpool.

It is thought one of the carts on the Big Dipper ride stopped and was shunted from behind by another carriage.

Several of the people on board were taken to hospital suffering from injuries to their necks and backs, as well as to their faces.

Both the Pleasure Beach authorities and the HSE are now investigating the incident and the ride will remain closed until it can be established what happened.

"It’s very sad for us to realise that some people have been injured and we wish them well and a very speedy recovery," said a Pleasure Beach spokesperson.

Anyone who is involved in a theme park accident and sustains personal injury as a result of a ride’s safety standards being inadequate could be in a position to make a no win, no fee claim for compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned that companies face prosecution and possible compensation payouts if they fail to ensure the safety of their workforce.

Shorts Group of Ascot was recently fined under safety regulations after an employee sustained severe injuries in an accident.

The unnamed man, a demolition labourer, was working on a construction site in May 2008 when the skip-loading dumper he was on overturned. The worker had not received any training to use the vehicle and was trapped underneath.

He badly hurt his foot and the HSE took action against Shorts Group for its negligence.

Karen Morris, HSE Inspector, said: "Dumpers are involved in around a third of construction transport incidents, causing many deaths and serious injuries … we expect trained and competent operators at all times."

Safety regulations state that employers should make sure all workers are competent and fit to use all vehicles and machines at work.

By law, firms must give employees sufficient training in safety measures when they first start with the company and whenever they begin to carry out new tasks which involve risks.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said that companies must make sure they provide safe machinery for employees to use after an incident in which a man badly hurt his hand.

The unnamed man reached up into an extraction unit to clear a possible blockage, but was badly cut by the blades.

JBM International of Staffordshire was fined and prosecuted for not carrying out adequate risk assessments and not fitting guards to dangerous machinery.

HSE inspector Ian Williamson said: ”It is important for companies to ensure that they have fully considered all the risks their employees may face when using any equipment."

Earlier this month, the Grimsby Telegraph reported that teenager Luke Oxton is to receive compensation from the Icelandic Group after he got trapped in a machine that had no guard in Grimsby.

He also suffered serious injuries to his arm and has been unable to return to work, as well as requiring plastic surgery.

A woman is considering taking legal action on behalf of her father after he fell down a hospital escalator while visiting his wife.

Len Conway, 84, had been to an osteoarthritis clinic and had visited his wife at Barnsley Hospital when he stepped onto the escalator, the Yorkshire Post reports.

He slipped and fell, causing severe cuts to his face, ear, hands and legs. He also broke his cheekbone.

Carole Conway said her father had lost his independence and said the hospital should not have dangerous facilities on the premises.

"It doesn’t make sense to have people who are already ill trying to use this escalator. It’s just too dangerous," she commented, adding that she is thinking of suing the hospital for the injuries her father sustained.

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating.

Figures published by the HSE show that fatalities and serious injuries arising from slips, trips and fall incidents cost British society an estimated £700 million last year.

A man whose arm was ripped off as he worked at a waste treatment plant is seeking £2 million in compensation for his pain and suffering.

Steven Gallon, 42, was an employee at Inverboyndie Waste Treatment Plant in Banff in 2004 when he attempted to clear a blockage on a piece of machinery.

His arm was caught between an unguarded roller and a conveyor belt and was pulled out due to the force, along with his shoulder and part of his collarbone.

At the time, the company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to train its employees and not putting a guard in place on the roller.

Mr Gallon also sought legal action to pursue a personal injury claim against Aberdeenshire Council.

A spokesperson for the council declined to comment while the case goes through the appropriate legal channels.

HSE statistics show that the recycling sector had five times more injuries in 2007-08 than manufacturing as a whole.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must keep equipment in good working order after a worker was badly burned.

Harjit Singh Matharu was working for A1 Rewinds in Birmingham in July 2008, where he was working beneath a vehicle.

However, the oxyacetylene welding gun suddenly caught fire after chemicals leaked from it and Mr Mathuaru was engulfed by a fireball, badly burning his face and arms.

The HSE fined and prosecuted A1 Rewinds after it was found that the company had not maintained its hose equipment for 28 years.

Inspector Pam Folson said: "The hoses were so obviously badly perished that there is no excuse for this incident."

Risks of being burnt or scalded in the workplace should be eliminated by the employer where possible, or workers should be given appropriate safety clothing. If this does not happen and an employee is injured, they are likely to be eligible for compensation as a result of negligence.