A company which makes coat hangers has been ordered to pay £81,600 to an employee whose hair became tangled up in machinery. The freak accident occurred in 2009 when a woman, on her first day working on Mainetti UK’s conveyor belt, managed to catch her hair and scarf in the machinery.

As a result of the accident at work Ms Neild suffered injuries to her neck and throat, hair loss and a fractured finger.  The accident happened when she leaned forward to sort a blockage on the production line, and as she did so, her scarf became tangled in a cog mechanism which wasn’t guarded properly.

There was no emergency stop button and in fact the “off” button was some distance away.

After the court hearing, a Health and Safety Executive Inspector stated that “These horrific, life changing injuries sustained by Ms Neild could easily have been avoided if the right safeguarding measures had been taken by Mainetti (UK) Ltd.” 

For further information on claiming compensation for an accident at work click here