Accident in D&T on a sanding machine

The Health and Safety Executive has recently published details of a case where a school was prosecuted following an accident in a design and technology workshop. A pupil`s fingers were trapped between the table and rotating disc of the sanding machine. The school was fined £3500 and was ordered to pay an additional £5000 of legal fees.

CLEAPPS has discussed this matter with HSE officers, who reported that the main cause of the accident was the table of the machine was set too far back from the sanding disc.

This model of machine is not common place in our Technology departments but is of course very similar to the bandfacer, please can you ensure that the gap between the support table and the bandfacer belt is as small as possible and not more than 3mm.

Details of the HSE press release can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-wm-16712.htm?eban=govdel-risk&cr=05-Nov-2012