Engineering company fined £20,000 after man suffers ‘finger amputation’

The worker reached into a machine at Dlinexsign Ltd, a signage company based in Brackley, to retrieve a cut piece of material.

As he went to grab the material, his hand came into contact with a moving saw blade, and he lost part of his finger.

Mr Davies reached into the machine and accessed the dangerous moving parts while it was running.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to take effective measures to prevent access to the machine’s dangerous parts.

An inspector for the organisation said the incident could have been stopped.

HSE Inspector Dulanjala Kandana-Arachchige said: “This incident demonstrates the serious consequences that can result when access to dangerous parts of machinery is not effectively prevented.

“Employers must ensure that machinery is properly guarded and that effective measures are in place to prevent workers from reaching dangerous moving parts.

“This was a preventable incident.

“Employers have a responsibility to ensure that work equipment can be used safely and that workers are protected from dangerous machinery.”

HSE guidance warns employers to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, the organisation said.

Machinery should have fixed guarding, but other safety measures, including interlocked guards, are also needed.

These can be needed to ensure dangerous movement has stopped before a person can reach the danger zone, the HSE said.

Dlinexsign Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, it added.

The firm has now been fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £15,000 in compensation to Mr Davies at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court on October 23 2026.

It will also pay £9,9,064.34 in prosecution costs.

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Tom Ledden-Rocks and paralegal officer Natalie Ellis, the regulator added.