AN EAST Yorkshire manufacturer has been ordered to pay nearly £70,000 after one of its employees suffered life threatening injuries at its site.

York Magistrates Court heard that the 68-year-old man became entangled on part of a machine with a rotating workpiece and a chuck.

He suffered a punctured lung, broken neck, fractures to his back, ribs, arm and shoulder blade and had to have one arm amputated.

Following the incident on January 25, 2019 at Superior Machines Ltd of Fridaythorpe near Driffield, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector found many machines unguarded and that machinery standards across the site were poor.

The executive served three prohibition and five improvement notices on the company.

Superior Machines Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employee.

It was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £7,618 prosecution costs.

After the hearing HSE inspector Sarah Taylor said: “Entanglement incidents on unguarded rotating machinery are far too common.

“The worker’s injuries were life changing and he could have easily been killed.

"This serious incident and devastation could have been avoided if basic safeguards, risk assessments, supervision and instruction had been in place.”

Superior Machines Ltd's products include animal feed equipment and different kinds of mills or mixers.