Food industry firm fined for neglecting machinery best practice

Categories: Food Health and Safety |


Food industry firm fined for neglecting machinery best practice A bread manufacturer in Greater London has been hit with a heavy fine after being found guilty of contributing to the loss of an employee's finger by failing to take sufficient safety precautions.

The food industry company was found guilty of negligence over the incident, which saw a 39-year-old worker lose a finger while using a spiral mixing machine back in the autumn of 2006.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the machine the worker was using did not have a safety guard in place, despite inspectors from the government agency having previously advised the company to fit one.

Speaking after the City of London Magistrates Court found the company guilty of the health and safety breaches and passed down a fine of almost £3,000, HSE inspector Anne Gloor noted that, as with many incidents where employees are injured as a result of being given inadequate food industry workwear, this could have been easily avoided.

"The hazards associated with this type of machine are understood within the food manufacturing industry and there is clear guidance on the guarding standards which should be followed," she concluded.

Highlighting the importance of safety signs and proper workwear, the HSE's figures show that machinery and plant are responsible for 30 per cent of all workplace deaths in the food and drinks sector.ADNFCR-1200-ID-19757859-ADNFCR

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