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Diver’s finger severed in cofferdam installation

Open-access content Tuesday 27th November 2018
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Diver's finger severed in cofferdam installation

The diver worked for underwater civil engineering firm Northern Divers (Engineering), which pleaded guilty to breaching reg 6(1) of the Diving at Work Regulations.

Beverley Magistrates' Court heard that the employee was installing a cofferdam -- a watertight enclosure pumped dry to allow for construction work below the waterline -- when his finger was severed on 29 August 2017.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Northern Divers (Engineering) had exposed workers to the risk of entrapment and injury because it did not plan and manage the work properly.

The company was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,369.

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