To adopt a well-worn but accurate phrase, Cameron Minshull’s horrific accident was ‘an accident waiting to happen’. The 16 year old apprentice, who earned £3 an hour, was employed by Zaffar Hussain at Huntley Mount Engineering Ltd. He had only worked at the firm for a month before he died from a serious head injury when he was dragged into the steel cutting machine after his overalls became caught.
Accidents do happen but in this case it was due to the gross negligence of his employer. Manchester crown court heard there was no safety regime at the engineering company, with youngsters left untrained and unsupervised. It was the practice at the firm for young apprentices to clean the lathes, used to cut and make steel components, with emery paper while the machinery was still running. This should not have been possible but safety guards had been disabled, a practice that was “dangerous in the extreme”. Youngsters were simply warned to roll their sleeves up when cleaning the lathes. Cameron was given oversized overalls that did not fit him properly.
The Company admitted corporate manslaughter and was fined £150,000. The owner was jailed for eight months and banned from being a company director for 10 years. His son, a supervisor at the firm, was sentenced to 4 months in prison, suspended.
The recruitment agency, Lime People Training Solutions, placed him without conducting even basic checks to ensure that it was a safe and healthy environment for any worker, especially a 16 year old. They were fined £75,000 and ordered to pay £25,000 in court costs.
Passing sentence, the Judge said: “These young men – inadequately trained, inexperienced, unqualified and virtually unsupervised – were effectively left to their own devices in a workshop containing fast running, unguarded machinery”.
The risks were obvious; this young man’s tragic death was entirely avoidable. It serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers of placing apprentices in potentially dangerous work environments, and should prompt employers and recruitment agencies to review their working practices to ensure nothing like this happens again.
Employing apprentices is seen in different ways by employers. Having apprentices as part of a business should enrich it and provide the next generation with a starting point on the road to a better future. Some don’t want to take on youngsters because of the perception that they are more trouble than they are worth, and that they don’t have the time to properly set up their businesses to provide for them.
The Government is very keen to promote apprenticeships, but the primary reason for them being with you is to learn and gain experience. They are not a cheap source of labour. This case should not put employers off recruiting apprentices.
If you take on an apprentice you must ensure that the individuals and their environment and the tasks they perform are assessed, supervised properly and are within their capabilities. You should consider:
- Their temperament, maturity, general behaviour and the way they approach their work.
- Give them suitable induction training and further training as necessary.
- Supply appropriate personal protective clothing.
- They need to be supervised as appropriate. Their apprentice training provider should also play a part to independently assess whether placements are suitable.
The guidance provided in this article is just that – guidance. Before taking any action make sure that you know what you are doing, or call us for specific advice.
