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Polish worker, Kamil Podsaidly, 20, was working a night shift onJuly 17, 2007, when he spilled some ink and was attempting to cleanit up when the accident happened.

Mr Podsaidly, who still works as a printer for Britton DecoflexLimited, in Skerne Road, Hartlepool, lost the tip of his middlefinger on his left hand, which was also broken.

The company appeared at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court yesterday andadmitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing toprevent access to dangerous moving parts of machinery and was fined拢2,000 and ordered to pay printing machine 4,383 in costs.

Prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) MelonyRidgeway-Buckley, said: "On July 17 Mr Podsaidly was working anight shift. He had spilled some ink on or around the machine andwent to get rags from the shop floor.

"He climbed a ladder to access the print station and attempted toclean the ink off."

She said that at the time the machine was running at full speed,which is between 80 and 100 metres per minute, when his handgripping the rag was drawn in between the metal rollers.

The court heard that guards in place, which should stop the machinebefore anyone can get close to it, did not work properly because aswitch had been tampered with.

The prosecutor said: "The switch arrangement had clearly beentampered with as there was blue tape being used to hold the switchonto the machine."

Mrs Ridgeway-Buckley said witnesses had told how the switch had notbeen functioning properly for a number of weeks before the accidentand the company had failed to carry out checks.

Mitigating, John Ellwood said the company, which prints informationonto plastic containers and has been in Hartlepool for 60 years,co-operated fully with the investigation and had a previouslyunblemished safety record.

Mr Ellwood said a disciplinary procedure had been carried outagainst Mr Podsaidly in connection with the incident, which he hadnot appealed against, and despite this incident the employee is a"good worker" and is still with the firm.

Magistrates fined the company 2,000 and ordered them to pay4,383 investigation costs to the HSE. They were also ordered topay 15 victim surcharge.

After the hearing Mr Ellwood said on behalf of managing director,Barry Turner: "The company is delighted that this upsetting matteris now at an end."