No training, no guard leads to 17 year old losing hand

A 17 year old casual drum assistant was requested to work on a machine that he had

• never set up before;
• never received instruction on how to set up; and
• never been informed of the possible dangers or the safety features.

He was given vague instructions by a 19 year old supervisor who said whenever the machine starts rolling you have to adjust it back and feel the rollers. The 17 year old started to feel the rollers and his hand became trapped in the machine, subsequently crushing and mangling his fingers and thumb. Furthermore, he lost his wrist and had to have micro-surgery to extract a portion of hip to replace the mangled bone, thus extending his pain and suffering.

At the hearing of the case, the prosecution alleged that As well as the failure to guard the machine, did not provide adequate training or instruction as to how to operate or set a machine which was clearly dangerous

To date, Judgment is reserved.

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