By David Healey, Senior Solicitor  |  March 2026

She was asked to clean a machine she had never been trained to use. The safety guard was easy to move out of the way, and the interlock could be overridden without difficulty. Moments later, her fingers were drawn into the mechanism.

This was not a freak accident. It was the direct result of three separate failures that had nothing to do with carelessness on her part: no training had been provided, the guard offered no real protection, and the machinery had not been properly maintained. The Health and Safety Executive investigated, and a prosecution followed.

In February 2026, a manufacturer in West Yorkshire was fined at Leeds Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to failing to protect its workers. If you have been injured at work by a machine or piece of equipment — whether that happened last week or some time ago — this post explains what your employer was legally required to do, where it went wrong, and what your rights are now.

What did the investigation find when a manufacturer ignored its own safety systems?

The machine in question was used to print logos onto products. It had a guard — a physical barrier designed to prevent workers accessing the rollers during operation. It also had an interlock, an automatic device intended to stop the rollers turning whenever the guard was raised. Both are standard safety features required by law.

The Health and Safety Executive found that the guard could be raised and the interlock overridden with no real difficulty. The machine had not been adequately maintained. And the worker sent to clean the rollers had been given no training on how to do it safely, no information about the risks, and no guidance on the safety devices that were supposed to protect her.

The HSE prosecuted under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company pleaded guilty. The fine was £24,395, with costs and a victim surcharge on top. The HSE inspector described the case as demonstrating multiple failures — and noted that a suitable interlock and basic employee training would have prevented the injury entirely.

What does the law actually require from employers when it comes to machinery safety?

The primary legislation governing machinery safety in the workplace is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 — known as PUWER. These Regulations place clear and specific duties on every employer, in every industry, without exception.

Under PUWER, employers must ensure that dangerous parts of machinery are properly guarded. They must ensure that protective devices — including interlocks — cannot be easily bypassed, adjusted, or disabled by workers.

They must also provide suitable information, instruction, and training to anyone who uses or maintains work equipment. And they must keep equipment maintained in a safe condition.

These are not optional standards or good-practice guidance. They are legal requirements. When an employer fails to meet them and a worker is injured as a result, the employer is liable — not the worker who found a way round a safety system that was never properly designed or maintained in the first place.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 adds a broader general duty: employers must provide and maintain safe systems of work, safe equipment, and safe working environments for all employees. Sending a worker to clean a machine without training is a breach of that duty, regardless of how the machine itself appeared to be guarded.

What are your rights if a machine or piece of equipment at work has injured you?

If you have been hurt by machinery at work — whether it was a manufacturing machine, a food processing line, a cutting tool, a press, a conveyor belt, or any other powered equipment — you may have a claim for compensation if your employer failed in any of the following ways.

Failing to provide effective guarding on dangerous parts of the machine. Failing to maintain that guarding so it stayed effective. Failing to ensure that safety devices such as interlocks could not be easily overridden. Failing to give you proper training and instructions before you used or maintained the equipment. Failing to carry out a suitable risk assessment for cleaning and maintenance tasks specifically.

You do not need to have been formally trained in health and safety law to know that something was wrong. If the machine was poorly maintained, if you were never shown how to use it safely, or if the guarding was more of a formality than a real barrier, those facts speak for themselves — and they are exactly the kind of evidence a properly conducted claim will uncover.

If your injury happened recently, report it to your employer as soon as possible and ask them to make an entry in the accident book. Your employer has a legal obligation to report certain workplace injuries to the HSE under RIDDOR — that reporting obligation is theirs, not yours. If your injury happened some time ago and was never formally reported, do not assume it is too late. A claim for a workplace injury must normally be made within three years of the date of the accident, and the absence of a formal report does not prevent a claim from proceeding.

How long does a workplace machine injury claim take, and what does the process involve?

A straightforward workplace machinery injury claim typically resolves within 4–8 months of us being instructed. The process involves gathering evidence — maintenance records, training logs, the accident report if one was made, and where appropriate, expert engineering evidence about the condition and design of the equipment.

Your employer holds compulsory employers’ liability insurance. Under the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, every employer in the UK is legally required to have this insurance in place. That means the compensation you claim is paid by your employer’s insurer — not directly from your employer’s own pocket. This is important to understand, because many people hesitate to claim out of concern for their employer or their job. The insurance exists precisely so that injured workers can be compensated without the employer bearing the cost personally.

At Carter & Carter, every workplace injury claim is handled personally by a qualified solicitor from first contact to settlement. Your case will never be passed to a junior member of staff or a case handler. We have more than thirty years’ experience handling claims of this kind.