Company fined after worker's fingers are crushed

A Gosport-based food company has been fined after a worker had her fingers crushed in a machine at a factory in Hampshire in 2010.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Berkshire Foods Ltd which manufactures and supplies convenience foods to supermarkets and stores across the UK, for breaching health and safety regulations which led to the incident in Gosport.

Fareham Magistrates' Court heard that on the 29 October 2010, the injured person, of Founders Way, Gosport, Hampshire, who does not want to be named, was operating a cutting machine, used to produce one of the firm's crisp products. Her left hand became trapped between two rollers while she was feeding a product into the machine.

The worker sustained serious crush and skin damage to all four fingers on her left hand and underwent an operation, received stitches to her fingers and was in hospital for a week. She still has nerve damage in her hand and has not been able to return to work since the incident.

After the incident an HSE inspector examined the machine and served a Prohibition Notice preventing further use until it had adequate protection over the rollers. An Improvement Notice was also served for the company to carry out a suitable assessment of the hazards of the cutting machine.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Craig Varian said:

“This was an entirely preventable incident that left a young lady severely injured. Had Berkshire Foods Ltd installed an inexpensive and easily made guard, then this incident could have easily been avoided.

“Unfortunately, this is another reminder to employers, that they have a duty to prevent access to the dangerous parts of machinery. Failure to do so can result in serious personal injury as happened in this case and will result in prosecution.”

Berkshire Foods Ltd of Basingstoke Road, Spencers Wood, Reading (trading address of Fareham Reach, 166 Fareham Road, Gosport, Hampshire, PO13 0FW), pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1)(a) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Regulation 3(1)(a) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The firm was fined £3,300 and ordered to pay costs of £2,400.