£5,000 fine for hotel after teenage employee injured by rotary iron
A hotel in the North Yorkshire town of Filey has been fined a total of £5,000 after a teenage employee was injured and left permanently scarred by a commercial rotary iron used on the premises.
The 17-year-old, who has not been named, suffered burns to three of her fingers in the incident, which occurred at the Downcliffe House Hotel in May of this year. She had to be treated in Pinderfields Hospital, which specialises in treating burns victims.
An investigation into what happened found that there were serious faults with the rotary iron, and it had not been properly serviced and maintained as it should have been. The iron was also not being used as it should, and a crucial safety switch had been disconnected.
Scarborough Magistrates Court, where the case was heard, was also told that the hotel owners had failed to carry out a risk assessment. They also failed to ensure that staff received the proper health and safety training for certain tasks.
The council’s Health and Community safety manager Steve Pogson said:
“This accident was foreseeable and preventable. It is essential that all employers promote good health and safety practices in the workplace; they have a duty to protect their employees and others who may be affected by the activities they carry out.”