Leeds Plastics Company Fined Over Severe Workplace Injuries
A Leeds-based plastics manufacturer has been ordered to pay £16,000 in fines after two employees suffered devastating finger injuries in separate machinery accidents that occurred within a ten-day period.
Grandmother's Life-Altering Injury
Angela Morrison, a 61-year-old grandmother of eight, was attempting to clear a blockage on a sanding machine on August 12, 2024, when she reached into a ventilation port. Her right hand came into contact with a large rotating metal disk, causing severe damage to multiple fingers.
Mrs Morrison, who had worked for the company for 28 years, underwent emergency surgery within an hour of arriving at hospital. Doctors removed much of what remained of her middle finger, while another finger was so seriously damaged it will require amputation.
"I am naturally right-handed so everything is now much more difficult," said Mrs Morrison. "You don't notice it until you go and do something and then you realise you can't. Little things like opening the oven or getting out change in my purse."
The grandmother expressed her wish to "turn the clock back" and described how her injuries have affected her ability to care for her grandchildren. "There are things I can't do for them that I would like to, such as doing my granddaughter's hair," she added.
Second Worker Injured Just Days Later
Just ten days after Mrs Morrison's accident, on August 22, another worker sustained serious injuries while using a table saw to cut small plastic strips. The 57-year-old man lost part of his index finger above the knuckle and required surgery to remove the top of his middle finger.
Health and Safety Failings Exposed
Commercial Lines Limited, trading as HLN Supplies, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and section 3(1) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
A Health and Safety Executive investigation revealed multiple safety failures:
- Inadequate guarding on the sanding machine, allowing dangerous parts to be easily accessible
- Insufficient training for table saw operation
- No safe work systems in place when cutting small materials
- Failure to conduct suitable and sufficient risk assessments
The company was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £6,534 in costs at Leeds Magistrates Court on March 26, 2026.
Systemic Safety Issues
HSE Inspector Gavin Carruthers stated: "For this company to have not one but two completely avoidable incidents in such a short time shows systemic health and safety failings. Both workers have been left with injuries that will stay with them for the rest of their lives."
"The fact one of those hurt was a much-loved grandmother who had worked at the company for nearly three decades makes these failings all the more stark," Carruthers continued. "If proper guarding, training, and safe systems of work had been in place then these two workers would not have sustained such life-changing injuries."
The inspector emphasized that "HSE will take action when companies fail in their duties to keep workers safe."
Mrs Morrison, who has been unable to work since the accident, expressed hope for returning to employment, possibly in an office role. Both injured workers face permanent physical limitations as a result of the company's safety failures.
