Essex scrap metal recycling company fined £200,000 after female employee's arm severed in machine

A scrap metal recycling company has been fined £200,000 after an employee's arm was severed by one of its machines - forcing her to have it amputated.

Elena Troia, 34, was working for FJ Church and Sons at a recycling facility in Rainham in Essex when she attempted to remove a machine blockage by passing her arm through an unguarded valve.

The valve on the catalytic converter sampling machine closed, trapping her right arm and severing it.

Ms Troia's arm was later amputated as a result of the incident meaning she has been unable to work since.

The Health and Safety Executive opened an investigation and found that FJ Church and Sons failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

The company was fined £200,000 by HSE and ordered to pay £5,125.37 in court costs.

HSE inspector Marcus Pope said: "Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of poorly guarded work equipment.

"In this case this was a wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure to guard dangerous parts.

"Had the company added suitable guarding to the outlet of the machine, this life-changing injury would not have occurred.”

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