Published Friday, 28 September 2012
Clarehill Plastics was fined at Craigavon Court House. (© UTV)
Justin Guiney's clothing got caught between two unguarded gear wheels while carrying out unplanned maintenance of a rotational moulding machine in the Clarehill Plastics factory last January.
A Health and Safety Executive NI (HSENI) investigation into the incident found the machine's guards at the Moira factory had been removed months before Mr Guiney was injured, and not replaced.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations and on Friday was fined £8,000 plus £1,500 court costs at Craigavon Crown Court.
HSENI inspector Jonathan Knox said: "The results of this avoidable incident will be experienced by this young man for the rest of his life. One in three workplace deaths are caused by maintenance failures.
"It is essential that companies take suitable measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. In addition to this, machinery should be switched off and secured so that it remains off until work is complete and employees are away from any danger.
"All types of maintenance work must be properly planned and supervised, so that workers are not injured or killed," he added.