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A road worker slicing his leg with a cut-off (Stihl) saw resulting in 60 stitches cost a Council £500,000. The injured person had been using the cut-off saw to cut a branch of a tree. The saw had been fitted with a blade unsuitable for the task. A manager at The London Borough of Havering had bought the blade and it had previously used for a similar task. It was found that there was generic risk assessment covering the use of ‘Stihl’ saws but no assessment relating to the use of the saw for the specific task had been carried out.

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