A Chadderton based company has been fined £52,000 after a teenage apprentice lost three fingers misusing equipment he had not been given proper instructions on how to use.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard Lewis White had the disastrous incident in November 2018 while working at Amber Industries, which makes conveyor systems.

The teenager’s supervisor had withdrawn from working with him and just five minutes before the incident he had been warned about his concentration.

He went to use a pillar drill to create a hole in an item.

White, who was 17 at the time, should have used his left hand but went with his right and he was wearing gloves which he should not have been.

The item should have had a guard attached and should also have had a fully operational telescopic trip switch.

As Mr White went to use if his hand was forced into the drill and as he pulled it out he lost three fingers.

Amber Industries, located on Crompton Street in Chadderton, previously admitted it had failed to secure the health and safety of the apprentice and the case called in court for them to be sentenced.

Prosecutor Peter Hayes said: “Lewis did not think the drill had a guard on it, he had never seen a guard on it.

“His right arm got pulled further into the rotating drill.

“In pulling his arm out three of his fingers were amputated.”

He explained with a working telescopic trip switch: “The extent of the accident might not have been so severe.”

A well as this he said the man appointed to supervise Mr White had withdrawn from the role and the replacement was not as attentive.

In the investigation it emerged other members of staff had not known how to use this bit of equipment appropriately.

Mr Hayes went on to describe the devastating impact on Mr White.

He said he had been left with post traumatic stress disorder and a skin graft from his leg had not been particularly successful.

A statement from his mother said he struggled with tasks and hid his hand in photos.

Representing the company, Michael Hayton QC said it had a strong health and safety record despite the incident.

He said: “I offer apologies on behalf of Amber Industries Limited to Lewis White.

“In a number of key respect they let him down, as a consequence his life has been altered.

“It is a company which has been in existence for more than forty years, this is the first time it has fallen foul of any prosecution.

“That is no mean feat.”

He added that a new employee had been brought in whose role was health and safety and they had cooperated fully with the investigation.

The court heard the company is being forced to relocate in a move which could cost up to £250,000 and had been forced to make people redundant during the Covid pandemic.

Imposing a sentence, district judge Mark Hadfield said despite the health safety record it was an “accident waiting to happen.”

He fined the company £52,000 and also ordered it to pay prosecution costs of £14,442.46.