North Yorkshire County Council has been fined £5,000 and ordered to pay more than £28,000 costs after a schoolboy lost the tip of his right index finger after a lathe accident in class.

The 14-year-old pupil was putting the finishing touches to a metal torch he was making in a design and technology lesson at King James’s School in Knaresborough when he was told to use a polishing cloth on it while the lathe was turning.

Lisa Roberts QC prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court on Monday that the cloth became entangled and dragged his hand into the rotating lathe and the tip of his finger was almost severed before he could switch it off.

He was taken to hospital in Harrogate and efforts were made to re-attach it but they were not successful and the tip was subsequently amputated.

Miss Roberts said there was a notice attached to the lathe warning against the use of loose clothing, neckties and jewellery and said it was the Health and Safety Executive’s case the risk of using a polishing cloth should have been self-evident.

She said the school had not identified the risk and over a period of time the practice of using the cloth had become accepted when it was “regrettably inherently unsafe.”

The boy, although continuing with his schooling and sport, was conscious of his loss.

Robert Smith QC representing the county council said they had an excellent safety record covering the 120,000 children in the North Yorkshire catchment area and the health and safety breach was “out of character and exceptional.”

Equally the school was highly respected and very successful and the isolated incident was entirely contrary to the schools good safety record.

He said there had been no deliberate disregard by staff who had no recollection of health and safety guidelines on lathes being drawn to their attention. “The risk was not specifically addressed in assessments at the school. This was an exceptional incident and they failed to apply their minds to it.”

Since the accident on November 19, 2013 the school had done everything it could to reduce the risk of anything similar involving the use of such equipment, paying out of its own budget for health and safety consultants to do a two day audit at the school.

Notices had also been sent out at the time by the council to all head teachers and design and technology departments to stop the practice and use other safe methods.

The council admitted as an employer failing to ensure the reasonable protection of persons not in their employment and in addition to the fine was ordered to pay £28,287.85 prosecution costs.

Judge James Spencer QC said the consequences of the accident had been unpleasant and painful at the time for the boy, who had the continuing embarrassment of how his finger was left but there had been no prior warning it might happen.

“With hindsight this looks an obvious error at the time it wasn’t a particular risk that had been noticed.”

Civil action is ongoing.