A Washington-based firm has been fined £2,000 after a worker lost a finger while operating machinery which the company knew was faulty.
Tanfield Metal Spinners, of Parsons Industrial Estate, near Sunderland, pleaded guilty to breaching the Power and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was also ordered to pay costs of £1,056.
Sunderland Magistrates Court was told that in September 2008 a worker was resetting the gear cog on a machine which the firm knew had been slipping out of place on a regular basis.
A guard which was provided had also been removed, resulting in the worker losing one of his fingers in the accident.
Dr Dave Shallow, Health and Safety Executive inspector, said: "The company knew there had been problems with the machine's gears and should have taken proper measures to ensure it was maintained."
Last month, M&M Windows was fined £10,000 after an employee had his finger sliced off at its Dudley factory in 2009.