CARLISLE, England—Pirelli Tyres Ltd. has been fined $656,000 after two employees were badly injured by the same machine at its production factory in Carlisle.
The employees suffered broken arms in separate incidents—in November 2013 and August 2015—at the tire plant in northwest England.
Both had been caught by a roller on the same stripline machine, the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive reported. A HSE investigation found that the machine, which was manufactured by Pirelli in 2003, was not properly guarded, despite the first incident.
Carlisle magistrates' court has also ordered Pirelli to pay costs of $7,600 in addition to the fine, according to a Sept. 25 statement from the HSE.
"Dangerous parts of machinery must be guarded to prevent access," HSE Inspector Matthew Tinsley said after the hearing.
Machines that are built in-house for a company's own use must meet modern guarding standards, just as if they were going to be placed on the open market, he added.
"This machine should have been appropriately guarded from first-use but, failing that, the first incident should have prompted a thorough review of the machine," Tinsley said.
APirelli spokesperson said in a statement that the company was "fully committed" to the health and safety of its employees, customers and visitors.
"We stress our regret over the occurrence of these past incidents and have complied with all recommendations from the HSE to alleviate such risks from our sites," he said.