Vape manufacturer fined £180k after worker severs three fingers

The agency worker at VN Labs in Manchester had been working on a nicotine liquid pod packaging machine at the firm’s Trafford Park premises when it became blocked. He removed the plastic causing the blockage, freeing the machine’s blade, but sliced his right hand.

According to HSE’s investigation, the man’s index, middle finger and thumb had to be amputated after it became “apparent they could not be reattached”.

The 43-year-old man, who lives in Manchester, has been unable to work since the incident on 22 October 2020. He now struggles carrying out everyday tasks and has suffered from mental health difficulties.

“From day one until now I did not have a day without pain,” he said in a his victim personal statement. “My mind has completely changed. I can’t do simple tasks such as prepare eggs for my children. I used to enjoy hobbies like judo, jujitsu and climbing.”

HSE found the machine had recently been imported without any guarding. The engineering team at VN Labs assessed the machine and installed a see-through plastic guard over the top. Despite this, access to dangerous parts of the machine was still possible.

There was also no formal written risk assessment for the blister pack machines. The company also failed to implement a safe system for clearing blockages and did not effectively supervise and monitor its working processes, said HSE.

VN Labs Limited was fined £180,000 for breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Investigating HSE inspector Joseph Wright said: “Companies should ensure machinery is guarded to the standard of UK legislation even when imported from another country because they may have different laws around the standard of guarding.”