The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) brought the case against the mill following the accident on September 26, 2011.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard that at the time of the accident the Polish worker in his 20s was operating a bandsaw to cut large pieces of timber. While trying to feed some wood, his arm was drawn into the machine and cut in half lengthways up to the elbow.
The significant injuries needed 16 operations to repair ligament, muscle and nerve damage. He lost one finger and part of another, and now struggles to use his right hand.
He is unlikely to be able to return to work for a considerable time. The HSE investigation revealed that the saw’s drive wheels and chain drive were unguarded and the saw-blade guard was not positioned correctly.
The worker had not received any formal training on the machine and was left unsupervised even though he was untrained and inexperienced. No pushsticks were given to employees to move wood through machinery safely.
Tennants (Elgin) Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety regulations.
“The risks of bandaws – where there are fast-moving cutting parts – are well known in the sawmill industry and Tennants (Elgin) Ltd should have put in place suitable measures to prevent this type of injury from occurring,” said HSE principal inspector Niall Miller.
