Prosecution Details

Being an employer failed to ensure that every dangerous part of plant, namely an angle grinder was, so far as practicable, securely guarded in accordance with regulation 4.29.

The defendant operated a brick laying business in the South West region.

On 2 September 2002 the defendant was working as the principal bricklayer at a residential construction site in Dalyellup An apprentice was working with the defendant, and as part of the work was cutting bricks from a wall surrounding a door frame which had been improperly installed. The defendant instructed the apprentice to use an angle grinder to do the job.

The apprentice had just commenced a vertical cut to the brickwork when the saw jammed and struck the apprentice on his left arm above the wrist resulting in his arm being cut.

When the defendant bought the angle grinder no guard was supplied.

The defendant pleaded guilty.