Accident At Work

A food manufacturing firm has been fined after a machine which crushed three fingers of an employee was found to not have the required guarding.

Norwich Crown Court heard that Tulip Limited's employee, Ludmila Jurkevica, had not received sufficient training to use a packing machine at the company's site in Norfolk.

The employee was trying to clear a blockage in a Multivac packing machine when the accident happened on November 27, 2007.

Tulip Limited has been fined £65,000 and ordered to pay costs of £29,523 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It admitted failing to prevent access to dangerous parts and failing to make a suitable risk assessment of the machine.

HSE Inspector Steve Gill said: "This was a nasty incident which could have been avoided had the company checked how safe the machinery was and taken precautions to protect staff. Machines like these can be incredibly dangerous and cause serious injury. No company should take these risks lightly."

Copyright © Press Association 2009

David Urpeth from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: “I welcome the fine imposed following this accident at work.

“Health and safety legislation regarding the need for guarding dangerous parts of machinery is clear and I would urge all employers to take careful note of the legislation so as to prevent any injury to workers following a work accident.”

If you have been injured at work, you may be able to claim work accident compensation.