Firm regrets severed fingers case

Doctors managed to sew two of Wesley Dickinson's finger back on

A plastics-recycling company that was fined £2,500 after a worker had four of his fingers severed has vowed to avoid a repeat of the accident.

Wesley Dickinson, 22, was trying to remove a guillotine jam at Centriforce Products Ltd in Liverpool when his fingers became trapped.

Doctors reattached two of his fingers, but he now has limited movement.

The company, which admitted breaching safety regulations, said it regretted the accident in May 2008.

Centriforce was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the incident at the company's premises on Derby Road.

It was fined by Liverpool magistrates on Friday and also ordered to pay £2,438 in costs.

Procedures revised

"While we had a number of Health and Safety policies and procedures in place at the time, they unfortunately failed to prevent this accident happening," a spokeswoman said.

"Since the incident, we have worked closely with the HSE to revise our procedures to ensure that this will not happen again.

"Centriforce Products Limited takes the Health and Safety of its workforce extremely seriously and prides itself on its safety record.

"The company has been using this type of equipment in its operations for over 25 years with an impeccable Health and Safety record, and this is reflected in the level of fine imposed by Liverpool Magistrates' Court."

Mr Dickinson has been unable to return to work after the incident, which had a "devastating impact" on him, the HSE said.