Public liability insurance holders have been given a warning about making sure machines are adequately guarded after a firm was prosecuted.
Centriforce Products of Liverpool pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £2,500 with £2,438 in costs.
Liverpool Magistrates' Court heard how Wesley Dickinson, 22, from Walton, had been trying to remove an obstruction from a guillotine when his fingers became trapped, cutting off four of his digits.
Doctors were able to reattach two of his fingers, but he now was very limited movement in his right hand and will not be able to carry out any manual work for the foreseeable future.
Martin Paren, Health and Safety Executive inspector, said: "The company should have had a guard on the guillotine to prevent workers from reaching the blade. An automatic mechanism should also have been in place so that the power was cut if the guard was opened."
Last month, Ravendale Foods of County Durham was fined £7,500 after a 22-year-old worker had two fingers amputated by an unguarded machine.