Glasgow biomass firm fined £129,000 after radio error leads to worker losing fingers

Radio miscommunication led to the shift operator, 57, believing high-spinning blades had been turned off. But HSE’s investigation found the company had also failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

The employee, who had 17 years’ experience at the fuel plant, had been trying to clear a blockage on a surge hopper on 8 June 2023 when the incident occurred. 

The surge hopper onsite. Photograph: HSE

The blockage was in a rotary lock valve which contained rotating blades that turn at 25rpm. As he attempted to clear the blockage, he removed a metal clip and rubber gaiter to gain access to the valve.

Communication with the control room, which operated the valve remotely, was carried out by hand-held radio. There was no line of sight between the two areas, and the radios were subject to interference.

Investigating HSE inspector Nicola Kerr said: “Relying solely on radio communication to control isolation – particularly where there is no line of sight and interference is possible – is simply not good enough.”

HSE found that while the company had a specific safe system of work in place for clearing blockages on surge hopper rotary lock valves – which the man had been trained on as recently as April 2023 – they had failed to ensure that access to the dangerous parts of the machinery was prevented.

“A fixed guard would have been a reasonably practicable measure that could have prevented this incident entirely,” explained Kerr.

“Where workers are required to interact with machinery containing dangerous moving parts, employers must ensure that adequate physical safeguards are in place to prevent access to those parts.”

“This man’s injuries had had a profound impact on his life, and were completely preventable.”

SMW Limited was fined £120,000 for breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), Regulations 11(1) and (2) and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Section 33(1)(c) at Hamilton Sheriff Court on 20 May 2026.