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

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

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

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

"He climbed a ladder to access the print station and attempted to clean 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 hand gripping the rag was drawn in between the metal rollers.

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

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

Mrs Ridgeway-Buckley said witnesses had told how the switch had not been functioning properly for a number of weeks before the accident and the company had failed to carry out checks.

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

Mr Ellwood said a disciplinary procedure had been carried out against Mr Podsaidly in connection with the incident, which he had not 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 pay £4,383 investigation costs to the HSE. They were also ordered to pay £15 victim surcharge.

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