Work accident news
01/11/2011

Accident at plant costs food processor £10,000

A food processing firm has been prosecuted for safety failings after an accident at work caused life-long injuries for one employee.

Bosses at the Wigan factory, which packages salads and fresh vegetables, admitted breaching the Work Equipment Regulations by failing to prevent the industrial injury.

The employee involved dislocated her elbow and broke three bones in her arm after catching it in the unguarded moving parts of a potato blanching machine.

Trafford Magistrates' Court heard that the machine had been running without a guard for more than a decade before the workplace accident took place.

An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said a work related injury was ‘almost inevitable' given the machine had been operated in an unsafe manner for so long.

"A young worker has suffered a life-long injury that could easily have been prevented," she said.

"Sadly the machine had been operated without a guard for more than ten years, making it almost inevitable that someone would be injured if they came into contact with the dangerous moving parts.

"The company has now installed a simple mesh guard over the rollers which means they can be cleaned without the risk of workers' arms being dragged in."

The accident at work cost the company £10,000 in fines and £2,026 in prosecution costs.