A recycling firm has been ordered to pay £17,000 in compensation to a deaf employee who lost his right hand in an accident.

The 50-year-old, who has been deaf since birth, was feeding waste plastic into a granulator machine when the incident happened in March 2015.

When the machine slowed down, he looked into an inspection hatch and then reached in to pull through some plastic that had become jammed in the mechanism.

The plastic became wrapped around his hand and pulled it towards the rotating blades.

An investigation by the HSE discovered that a safe working system was not in place. Not only should the machine not have had an inspection hatch, but workers should not have been able to access the blades.

Inquiries also revealed that at the time of the incident, the employer had not provided Employer’s Liability Compulsory Insurance.

The man cannot now drive and has difficulty using sign language to communicate. He is also unable to work.

CP Plastics Limited, of Manchester New Rd, Middleton, Manchester, admitted one charge under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and a further offence under the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court fined the firm £1,500 and ordered it to pay compensation of £17,000, plus prosecution costs of £1,500.

“This incident could easily have been prevented if the company had suitable measures in place to ensure workers could not access the rotating cutters in the granulating machine,” said HSE Inspector Emily Osborne.

“This would include ensuring guards were fitted correctly on the machine. The firm’s failures led to a worker suffering a severe and life changing injury.

“Every employer needs to ensure that they have Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance in place to ensure employees can claim compensation if they are injured or become ill as a result of their work.

“It is completely unacceptable to not have basic insurance in place, and, where such breaches are identified they will be pursued by HSE.”