A Pietermaritzburg factory worker lost four fingers when his hand got stuck in a grinding machine on Friday morning.

Netcare 911’s Shawn Herbst said emergency workers responded to reports of an industrial incident at a factory in Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg.

“Reports from the scene indicate that an adult male factory worker got his left hand stuck in a grinding machine,” he said.

“When emergency services arrived on scene, the machine was immediately locked out to allow emergency personnel to safely treat the patient. Upon assessment it was found that the worker had four of his fingers amputated and was in severe pain.”

He said the man was given intravenous medication to ease the pain, while fire and rescue services dismantled the machine.

Once freed and stabilised, the patient was transported by ambulance to hospital for further treatment.