Mentha and Halsall Shopfitters Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at its factory in April 2010.
Darren Mawdsley was trimming oak planks when a piece of wood caught on the blade of the circular saw, pulling his index finger into the machine. The 37-year-old from Southport was taken to hospital and his finger was amputated at the knuckle the following day.
North Sefton Magistrates' Court in Southport was told the guard for the saw was resting on a table at the side of the machine when the worker's finger was severed.
The HSE investigation found the company had carried out a risk assessment for the saw but this had not been passed on to its employees. The injured worker had never been given any training by the company on using the saw, and no warning signs were on the machine.
Mentha and Halsall Shopfitters Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to provide adequate instructions for using the saw. It was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £3,498 in prosecution costs.
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