A North London food manufacturer has been fined £150,000 for failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

The failings came to light following a routine inspection by Britain’s workplace regulator – the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in October 2023.

During the visit to Wembley-based Oriental Delight (UK) Limited, the HSE inspector identified multiple failings related to the guarding of machinery. Three machines were deemed unsafe due to interlocking safety devices being defeated and guards being completely removed.

However, it wasn’t the first time the food company had come onto HSE’s radar , with prohibition notices being issued in both 2016 and 2019.

Identical guarding failings were again found at the inspection in October 2023, demonstrating that the company had not only failed to sustain improvements, but had effectively ignored HSE’s previous enforcement action by continuing to use these machines in an unsafe manner.

On 4 September 2024, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Oriental Delight (UK) Limited pleaded guilty to three breaches of Regulation 11(1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £150,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,020.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Marcus Pope said: “This case sends out a clear message to the food manufacturing industry that HSE will not hesitate to prosecute when inspectors find serious health and safety failings, particularly when previous enforcement and advice has been provided.”

“Once again we see how critical it is that all employers make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi and supported by HSE paralegal officer Imogen Isaac.

Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.
5. Further information about preventing access to dangerous parts of machinery is available.

A multi-national food company has been fined more than £300,000 after one of its workers lost four fingers on his right hand while unblocking a machine at a site in Glasgow.

Kerry Ingredients (UK) Limited received the fine following an incident at its factory in Hillington on 4 August 2021. The 39-year-old man was working on a mixer at the site, where dry seasoning blends and mixes are manufactured for the food industry.

During the mixing process the machine began to develop a blockage, which the worker attempted to clear by inserting his right hand into the machine. However, as he did so, it came into contact with the rotating blades which resulted in the amputation of four of his fingers. Since the incident, the man has had to re-learn how to do everything with his left hand.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that there were no fixed guards preventing access to the blades from the underside. It also found there were not any interlocked guards which would stop the rotating parts if any component on the underside of the mixer were to be removed.

Kerry Ingredients (UK) Limited of Bradley Road, Bristol pleaded guilty on 26 July 2024 to a contravention of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1988, Regulations 11(1) and (2) and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act

1974, Section 33(1)(c). At a further hearing on 8 August 2024, the company was fined £360,000.

HSE principal inspector Hazel Dobb said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.

A food manufacturing company on the Wirral has been fined £400,000 after one of its employees had to have her leg amputated.

Sharon Bramhall lost a leg following a serious incident at Baker & Baker Products, which is based in Bromborough. The 58-year-old had to have her left leg amputated below the knee following the incident at the company’s premises on Stadium Road.

Baker and Baker Products, which makes a wide variety of baked goods, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on 25 March 2024. In a statement provided to the court, Mrs Bramhall said she felt ‘lucky’ it wasn’t worse.

“I know I could have died,” she said.

“Sometimes I wake up and just wish I’d booked that night off work for some reason and none of this would have happened.”

The court heard how Mrs Bramhall had been supervising four other members of staff as they completed high-level cleaning tasks during a night shift on 22 April 2022.  She had been acting as ‘a banksman’ for an employee who was controlling a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP).  As the MEWP turned through 90 degrees into the warehouse it struck Sharon, crushing her left leg. The incident was captured on CCTV.

She was hospitalised for three months and has had a total of nine operations including several skin grafts.

“I have a huge scar on my stomach from where the surgeons took a piece of it to use as a flap over my stump.

“My left leg above my stump is really badly scarred and damaged. It was trapped under the cherry picker.

“The recovery afterwards was awful.

“It is difficult to put in to words just how much the accident has impacted me. I have had to uproot and move my family.

“I am struggling with blistering on my stump, even now, rendering me wheelchair dependent. I am not able to leave the house on my own. I am fearful about what the future holds for me.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed a series of failings by Baker & Baker Products UK Limited.

The company failed to have in place a suitable and sufficient safe system of work when escorting MEWP’s from a parked position to point of use. They also failed to provide information, instruction and training for the movement of the MEWP and use of banksman and also failed to adhere to their normal practice and company policy to ensure a trained MEWP operator acted as banskman.

Had these been implemented, the incident could have been prevented.

Baker & Baker Products UK Limited, of Stadium Road, Bromborough, Wirral, pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) and 33(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £400,000 and was ordered to pay costs of £7,266 costs. This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Karen Park and Matt Reynolds and paralegal officer Louisa Shaw.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Ian Betley said: “Sharon Bramhall suffered terrible injuries that will affect her for the rest of her life due to the failings of her employer.

“Vehicles continue to be a major cause of serious injuries in the workplace, and the first principle of any employer should be to keep people and vehicles apart.

“The risk assessment decided that someone was needed to escort the MEWP, thus a safe system of work needed to be devised. Employees should have been given appropriate banksman training, including how to effectively communicate with the driver.

“Had these been in place, Sharon’s injuries could have been avoided.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE guidance on working under vehicles is available.