Can You Claim If a Workplace Lathe Injury Cost You Your Career?
Quick Answer: Can You Claim for a Workplace Machinery Injury?
Yes. If your employer fails to assess risks, provide safe systems of work, or follow HSE guidance on machinery — and you’re injured as a result — you may have a valid compensation claim. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, every employer has a legal duty to protect workers from foreseeable harm.
Typical machinery injury compensation: £5,000–£35,000+ depending on severity | Timeline: 6–18 months | 99% settle without court | No Win No Fee
One moment you’re polishing a piece of metal. The next, your glove catches in the lathe — and your finger is gone.
That’s not a hypothetical. It happened to a worker in Middleton, just off the M62, in April 2024. He lost his finger, lost his career as a turner, and was made redundant within nine months. The company was fined at Manchester Magistrates’ Court in February 2026.
The worst part? The HSE says the whole thing was avoidable. The guidance on how to use emery cloth safely on lathes has been published for years. The employer didn’t follow it.
What Happened at the Middleton Factory?
As reported by the HSE, a machine manufacturing company at Stakehill Industrial Estate in Middleton was prosecuted after an employee’s glove caught in a spinning metalworking lathe on 26 April 2024. The worker had been using emery cloth to hand-finish metal components — a method the HSE says should never be used on rotating machinery.
His finger was amputated. He couldn’t return to his profession as a turner. By January 2025, he’d been made redundant.
The HSE investigation found the company had failed to assess the risks of using emery cloth on lathes and had no safe system of work in place. HSE Inspector Leanne Ratcliffe said the risks were “widely known” and the company should have introduced safer methods. The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski.
“Losing a finger is bad enough. Losing your entire career because your employer ignored well-known safety guidance? That’s exactly the kind of claim we handle — and win.”
📊 The Fine
£10,000 fine + £5,758.55 costs
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 9 February 2026. The fine included £3,758.55 in prosecution costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
Could You Claim Compensation for a Lathe Injury at Work?
Yes — and the criminal fine is separate from any civil compensation claim. When a company is fined by the HSE, it’s being punished for breaking safety law. But compensation is about putting right what happened to you.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must assess risks and ensure safe systems of work. Under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), machinery must be properly guarded and workers must be trained in its safe use. When an employer fails on both counts — as happened here — the evidence for a compensation claim is strong.
The worker in Middleton didn’t just lose a finger. He lost his livelihood. Compensation in claims like this covers the injury itself, but it also covers loss of earnings — past and future — and reduced earning capacity if you can no longer do the job you were trained for. That’s where the figures can become significant.
✅ Your Rights After a Workplace Machinery Injury
✓ Pain and suffering — including the injury itself and any ongoing effects
✓ Loss of earnings — past and future, especially if you can’t return to your trade
✓ Medical expenses — treatment, rehabilitation, prosthetics
✓ Reduced earning capacity — if the injury limits the work you can do
Claims are handled on a No Win No Fee basis. You have three years from the date of injury to bring a claim under the Limitation Act 1980.
What If the HSE Has Already Prosecuted Your Employer?
It helps. A lot.
When an employer pleads guilty to a health and safety offence — as happened here — that guilty plea is powerful evidence in a civil compensation claim. It’s documented proof that the employer breached their duty of care. The HSE investigation report, the inspector’s findings, the court record — all of it supports your claim.
David Healey, Senior Solicitor at Carter & Carter, puts it simply: if the HSE has done the investigation and the employer has admitted fault, much of the hard work in proving liability is already done.
In this case, the employer pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 9 February 2026 — and the HSE inspector confirmed the risks of using emery cloth by hand on rotating lathes were “widely known” in the industry. That kind of statement from a regulator carries real weight in a civil claim.
For anyone in the Manchester or Greater Manchester area who’s been through something similar, the message is clear. An HSE prosecution doesn’t just punish the employer. It builds the foundation of your compensation claim.
⚠️ Evidence Matters — Act Early
Report the injury in your employer’s accident book — get a copy
Photograph the machine and work area before anything is changed
Keep all medical records — A&E, GP, and any specialist appointments
Note any witnesses — colleagues who saw what happened
The three-year time limit runs from the date of your injury. Don’t wait.
🔗 Related Guides from Carter & Carter
Accident at Work Claims — Your Complete Guide
Faulty Equipment in the Workplace — Your Rights
How Much Can You Claim for an Accident at Work?
What Is the Duty of Care of Employers?
Why Work With Carter & Carter?
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