A sign-making company employee cut his hand when his pullover got caught in an old machine he was asked to operate, a court heard yesterday.
The pivot rod cutting machine was so poorly maintained that a vice-grips was used to switch it on and off and to control the speed of the saw in it.
Screenprinter Mr John Donnelly caused further damage to his hand when in an attempt to turn it off with his free hand using the vice-grips, he switched it to "slow" mode, Dublin District Court heard.
Yesterday his employers, Owen Lennon Signs Ltd, Shanowen Industrial Estate, Santry, were fined £1,000 after pleading guilty to failing to properly maintain the machine and failing to provide him with protective clothing.
Mr Patrick O'Halloran, National Authority for Occupational Safety and Health inspector, said the company claimed the vice-grips had only been put on the day of the accident, March 9th last year, after the knob broke.
The machine itself was old, had no safety guard, was not the appropriate one for the job and not properly maintained. Mr Donnelly had not been given safety gloves and was only doing the job during a slack time at the premises.
The court heard the company had since replaced the machine and had implemented a full safety plan.
Judge David Anderson said the requirement to have safety guards on saws was not new. He noted the guilty plea and the absence of previous convictions. Along with the £1,000 fine, he ordered the company to pay £1,000 costs.