Lathe Operator Lost Finger and Job Through Unsafe Working Practices

A Health and Safety Executive investigation has ordered a machine manufacturing company to pay fines, costs and a victim surcharge following health and safety breaches which left an employee requiring amputation of his injured finger. 

On 26th April 2024, Carter Brothers International Ltd, a Manchester-based machine manufacturer, employed a lathe operator to produce metal components. During the course of his work, the employee was using emery cloth to polish metal work pieces when his glove was drawn into the lathe, and he sustained life-changing injuries to his right hand. 

As a result of the incident, the lathe operator had to have a finger amputated and could no longer work in his chosen profession. He was made redundant by Carter Brothers in January 2025. 

HSE Investigation 

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the company had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment or implement safe working practices for lathe operators using emery cloth. 

Carter Brothers pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(!) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and were fined £10,000. They were ordered to pay £3,758.55 in costs, with a victim surcharge of £2,000. 

Using emery cloth on metalworking lathes 

Lathes can be extremely dangerous if not used properly. With any high-speed rotating equipment, there is the risk of snagging and entanglement. Operators can be dragged into the machine and sustain injuries such as broken bones, dislocations, lacerations, amputations and occasionally death. 

The HSE issues clear guidance for employers and operators of metalworking lathes on the use of emery cloth: 

• “You must carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk from using emery cloth to polish, deburr or size a metal component while it is rotating in a manual lathe. Your risk assessment should determine whether you can eliminate the use of emery cloth completely.” 
• “Where this is not practicable, use a safe method of using emery cloth on a rotating manual metalworking lathe.” 
• Safe methods are outlined for both external and internal work, where emery cloth is held in place by components on the lathe, rather than in the operator’s hands. 
• “The use of gloves should be eliminated while using the methods specified.” 
• “It is never acceptable to apply emery cloth directly by hand on a rotating CNC or manual metal working machine.” 

Employer’s Duty of Care 

Every employer has a legal duty to ensure your safety while using machinery such as CNC machines and lathes. Primary legislation includes the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Specific guidelines also exist for using emery cloth on metalworking lathes and other machinery-related operations, such as paper-cutting guillotines, die-cutting machines, power presses and woodworking. 

Employers must carry out risk assessments, provide adequate training, maintain safe systems of work, and ensure that all relevant equipment is available and fit for purpose. 

If any of these duties are breached and you are injured as a result, you may have grounds to claim compensation. Establishing negligence does not mean your employer acted deliberately to cause harm; it simply indicates that they failed to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm. 

Premier Legal Assist can help 

If you have been injured whilst operating a CNC machine, lathe or other work equipment, you don’t have to face the consequences alone. If your case is eligible, with our help, you can secure the compensation you deserve. 

If you have an eligible claim, Premier Legal Assist can connect you with a team of specialist personal injury lawyers who handle machinery accident claims on a no-win, no-fee basis. 

To find out if you are eligible to make a 'no-win, no-fee' claim, complete our short form, and a team member will be in touch.