Mexborough & Swinton Times, April 3rd 1936
Unfenced Machinery
Conisbrough Works Owners Fined
A fine of £25 was imposed by the Doncaster West Riding Bench on Tuesday when Yorkshire Amalgamated Products, Ltd., Builders Merchants, of Doncaster, were summoned for an offence under the factory act by having unfenced machinery at their works at Conisbrough.
Mr William G. Pore, prosecuting, said that on February 14th a boy at the works got under a platform to do something to the machinery. His clothes were caught in the shafting and he was killed. It was not part of the boy’s duty to go there, and he did it against orders.
There had been a great number of test cases, the result of which was that if any body was injured or killed in a works accident there had genuinely been an offence for which the owners were responsible, it was quite likely, in this case, that an inspector would not have required the place to be fenced.
Mr Wilberforce Bridge, for the company, pleaded “guilty” and said there was the usual difficulty in the case that when then accident occurred it almost inevitably followed that an offence under the factory had been committed. The factory had a remarkably good record and it was 10 years since an accident of any description had happen there.
Everything possible had been done to comply with the requirements of the factory Acts and the inspectors, it could not be said that there was any wilful neglect.