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A door-making firm has been fined £25,000 after a Derbyshire machine operator suffered severe and permanent hand injuries, the Health and Safety Executive has said.

The HSE said Hugo Valdes Vera, 37, of Loscoe, was working for SIG Manufacturing on Milnhay Road, Langley Mill, Derbyshire when his left hand was trapped between two heated platens in a multi-platen door press.

The HSE, which brought the prosecution, told Derby Crown Court that Valdes Vera had been working at the factory for one month. He was loading and unloading doors with colleagues at the recently-supplied door press and was working at the rear of the machine when he became trapped.

Visibility around the back of the machine press for anybody operating it was restricted and the employees used a ‘thumbs up’ signal system when someone was working in this area to indicate when they were clear, said the HSE.

One of the employees operated the press, not realising Valdes Vera was behind it. His hand was between two of the heated platens and was trapped as the press closed.

He lost part of three fingers, required ongoing hospital treatment and has not yet been able to return to work, the agency added.

HSE inspector Noelle Walker said: "This case demonstrates the importance of providing physical safety measures where they are practicable, instead of relying on informal systems of work where a mistake or misunderstanding can lead to such a serious injury.

"Mr Valdes Vera’s employers failed to ensure that measures were taken to prevent such an incident occurring. As a result, a man has suffered a life-changing injury and has been unable to perform many everyday tasks ever since."

SIG Manufacturing, of Sheffield, pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £23,154.