It is vital that employees are properly supervised when using potentially dangerous machinery, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said.

The regulator issued the warning after a 21-year-old worker had parts of three fingers on his left hand cut off by an industrial saw at a factory.

His employer was fined £8,000 after admitting two breaches of health and safety legislation.

A court heard how the worker had not received any instructions or training on how to safely use the saw which rotates the blade at high speed. He had also been left unsupervised at the time on the incident, on October 21st 2010.

In addition, the blade was 64cm long but was being used to cut a piece of steel with a width of just 5cm. There was no adjustable guard in place around the part of the blade not being used, putting workers at risk.

Speaking after the hearing, the investigating inspector at HSE, Laura Moran, said: "It's astonishing that an employee was left to work unsupervised on the saw, despite not having any previous experience or receiving any training on how to use it safely.

"Engineering firms must treat the safety of workers as their top priority. It’s vital they properly assess the risks posed by machines to make sure employees aren’t put in danger."

Article courtesy of Aviva PLC. Published 01-12-2011