Public liability insurance holders have been warned about the dangers of using machines which might not be suitable for the job, after a Peterlee company was prosecuted.
Conder Solutions, of Whitehouse Way, was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £2,759 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1)(a) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
Peterlees Magistrates Court heard how a 55-year-old employee was polishing a rotating metal shaft on a metalworking lathe with a strip of emery cloth when the incident happened.
Surgeons were able to re-attach his hand, however, despite five operations the worker has no feeling in it and is still unable to use it.
Cain Mitchell, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, said: "This employee suffered an extremely painful and possibly life-changing injury because Conder Solutions failed to take measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of the lathe and to ensure a safe system of work was being used."
The HSE has special guidance for engineering firms on its website, where dangers such as electricity, noise and confined spaces are discussed.