A yogurt and dessert manufacturer in the UK was prosecuted and fined for an incident that led to an agency worker having two fingers amputated, the UK Health and Safety Executive said.
The staffing buyer, Müller UK & Ireland Group of Minsterley, Shrewsbury, was fined £66,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,024.20, according to the Health and Safety Executive. The fine came after the company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision of Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The incident happened in July 2016 when the agency worker was using a box maker on a machine known as a tray erector at the company’s Minsterley site in Shropshire. The person’s fingers were caught in the machine. As a result of the incident, one of the agency worker’s fingers was amputated below the second knuckle and another finger was amputated to the first knuckle.
“This preventable incident could have easily been avoided had the company properly assessed and applied effective control measures to minimize the risks from dangerous parts of the machinery,” HSE Inspector Andrew Johnson said during a hearing on the matter. “The dangers associated with in-running nips are well known, and a wealth of advice and guidance is freely available from HSE and other organizations.”
