• Maintenance engineer suffered catastrophic, life-changing injuries after his arm was pulled into an unguarded conveyor
• Working alone, he waved at a CCTV camera for help after becoming trapped in the machinery
• Factory Services UK Limited fined £160,000 after pleading guilty to health and safety breaches

A Merseyside animal‑feed manufacturer has been sentenced after a maintenance engineer suffered severe, life‑changing injuries when his arm was drawn into an unguarded conveyor.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Factory Services UK Limited allowed workers access to dangerous parts of machinery for many years at its site on Moorgate Road, Deacon Park, Knowsley Industrial Park, L33 7RX.

On 18 March 2025, maintenance engineer Daniel Slinger was working a nightshift when he was asked to look at an issue on a conveyor. While the conveyor was still running, Mr Slinger reached through a hole in the side of the conveyor casing to clear away some material. His arm was pulled into the moving machinery. There was no guard in place and no emergency stop button in the area.

Working alone at the time, there was nobody nearby to see or hear what had happened. In an effort to raise the alarm, he repeatedly waved at a CCTV camera in the hope that someone monitoring the system would spot him and come to his aid, nobody did. Eventually, after 40 seconds, he was able to free his arm. This was despite the company’s own safe systems of work requiring machinery to be guarded and isolated before any maintenance or cleaning activity was carried out.

Mr Slinger suffered catastrophic injuries to his forearm and hand, including a fracture and extensive degloving. He required multiple operations, blood transfusions and continues to receive ongoing specialist treatment. He remains unable to return to work.

HSE’s investigation established that the hole had been cut into the conveyor years earlier to allow workers to clear blockages while the machine remained in operation. A second conveyor on site was also found to have a similar unauthorised access point. Despite routine inspections, management walkarounds and audits, the dangerous modifications had not been identified or rectified.

Following the incident, the company fitted a fixed mesh guard and installed an emergency stop button at the location.

Factory Services UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 8 September 2026. They were fined £160,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4728.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector, Ian Betley, said:

“Mr Slinger suffered devastating and life-altering injuries as a result of this preventable incident. Had the correct protections been in place he would not have been exposed to the dangerous parts of a running conveyor through a hole cut into the machine.

“Factory Services UK Limited had risk assessments and safe systems of work, but they were not followed or enforced. Employers must ensure guarding is properly maintained, safe systems are implemented, and workers are protected from foreseeable risks.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes and paralegal officer Henrietta Ruthven.

Further Information

1. Guidance on the safe use of work equipment, including guarding requirements, can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l22.htm
2. Further details on the latest HSE news releases are available at: https://press.hse.gov.uk/
3. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect fines. Sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found at: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/sentencing-and-the-council/about-sentencing-guidelines/about-published-guidelines/health-and-safety-offences-corporate-manslaughter-and-food-safety-and-hygiene-offences/

• Worker suffered multiple fractures after arm was caught in unguarded conveyor machinery.
• HSE investigation found the company failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
• HSE guidance explains employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous machinery.

A baked goods manufacturer has been fined £333,333 after a worker suffered multiple fractures, including a broken arm when it became entangled in a sausage roll conveyor line.

Ribeca Jesuthasan was working for David Wood Baking Limited at the company’s food manufacturing factory in Sheerness, Kent, on 1 December 2023.

Ms Jesuthasan was cleaning a sausage roll production line when she passed her hand through an unguarded conveyor roller. Although the conveyor line had initially been switched off, it began to operate while she was cleaning it.

Her arm was pulled into the rotating roller, causing multiple fractures.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that David Wood Baking Limited had failed to prevent access to the rotating parts of the sausage roll conveyor line.

Employers have a legal duty to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. This will normally involve the use of fixed guarding. Where routine access is required, interlocked guards may be necessary to prevent dangerous parts moving before a person can reach the danger zone.

HSE guidance, A recipe for safety: Health and safety in food and drink manufacture (HSG252), covers the main health and safety hazards in the food and drink industries and provides practical advice on how to manage the associated risks.

David Wood Baking Limited of Calverley Road, Leeds, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £333,333 and ordered to pay £7644 in costs at Medway Court on 1 September 2026.

HSE inspector Delcina Burden said:

“Too many workers are seriously injured every year as a result of contact with dangerous parts of machinery due to inadequate or absent guarding.

“If simple measures had been taken, this incident could have been avoided.

“The sentence handed down by the court in this case should demonstrate that the courts and HSE take breaches of health and safety law seriously. We will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to do all they can to keep people safe.”

The HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan, paralegal officer Anushka Lulith, and prosecution advocate Ruksana Begum.

Further information

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.

• Worker suffered a severe crush injury when their hand was drawn into the rollers of a laminating machine.
• Same company was fined £277,500 in November 2025 following a fatal incident at another of its sites.
• HSE found company had failed to provide a fixed guard to prevent access to the dangerous nip point during cleaning.
• Company fined £60,000 after pleading guilty to health and safety offences.

A plastic packaging manufacturer has been fined for the second time in less than a year after a worker suffered a severe crush injury when their hand was drawn into the rollers of a laminating machine at its site in Telford.

Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited was sentenced in November 2025 after an employee died when he became trapped in an unguarded machine at the company’s site in Langley Mill, Derbyshire. This latest case relates to a separate incident on 17 January 2025, at the company’s Telford premises, when a worker suffered serious injuries while cleaning a machine.

The worker, a laminator operative and shift supervisor employed by the company, was injured while cleaning a laminator machine at the company’s premises on Halesfield, Telford.

The worker was cleaning the machine’s rollers using rags after a production run had finished. As they cleaned the machine, a rag became caught between two in-running rollers and pulled their left hand into the nip point between them. Their hand was drawn into the machine up to the wrist.

A colleague immediately activated the emergency stop, allowing the worker to free their hand from the machine. They were taken to hospital with a severe crush injury. The worker underwent two operations on their left hand, spent four nights in hospital and later required physiotherapy to rebuild strength in the injured hand.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited had failed to ensure effective measures were in place to prevent access to the dangerous moving parts of the laminating machine.

The company had failed to provide a fixed guard to prevent access to the in-running nip point between the rollers during cleaning operations. The HSE investigation also revealed that the company’s risk assessment and safe system of work were not suitable and sufficient. The cleaning operation had not been properly assessed and the risk of a worker being drawn into the machine during cleaning had not been identified. The safe system of work also failed to provide clear instructions regarding the use of the foot pedal to rotate the rollers during the cleaning process.

HSE guidance states that employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. Where access to dangerous parts is foreseeable, employers should follow the hierarchy of control measures set out in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, giving priority to engineering controls such as fixed guarding wherever reasonably practicable.

Risk assessments should consider not only normal production activities, but also tasks such as cleaning, maintenance and repair where dangerous parts may become accessible to workers.

Further guidance can be found here:

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – HSE

Safe use of work equipment: Approved Code of Practice and guidance – HSE

Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited, of Vision House, Hamilton Way, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 5BU, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £4,464 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 10 August 2026.

HSE Inspector Zach Morris said:

“This incident was entirely preventable. Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited failed to ensure that effective measures were in place to prevent access to dangerous parts of the laminating machine during cleaning operations.

“This is the second time in less than a year that this company has been sentenced for health and safety offences, following a fatal incident at another of its sites. Dangerous moving parts of machinery continue to cause serious injuries in workplaces across Great Britain. Dutyholders should not focus solely on normal machine operation when considering access to dangerous parts. They must also consider activities such as cleaning, maintenance, and repair where workers may be exposed to dangerous parts of machinery that are inaccessible during normal operations.

“HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action against dutyholders who fail to protect workers from these well-known and foreseeable risks.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Neenu Bains and paralegal officer Benjamin Stobbart.

Further information:

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. Relevant guidance can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/puwer.htm
5. 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.

• Worker killed after being crushed by a 1.6 tonne concrete weight at a cement bagging plant.
• A section of perimeter fencing had been routinely removed, exposing dangerous moving parts of machinery.
• Employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

A cement company in Sharpness has been fined £1 million after an employee was killed when he was crushed by machinery in a cement bagging plant.

Martin Bennett, 35 was working for Dragon Alfa Cement Limited at its facility in Gloucestershire, on 4 August 2021 when he was found crushed to death by a 1.6 tonne concrete weight, which was used to raise pallets full of 25 kg bags of cement.

In a victim personal statement, Martin’s wife, Layla, paid tribute to his kindness and generosity:

“He was kind, I mean right down to the very bones of him kind, he would always put himself last even if you didn’t want him to. He would give you the shirt off his back, last pound in his pocket, whatever you needed it was yours.”

One of Martin’s daughters said that answering the door to police officers bringing the news of her father’s death had such a profound impact on her that she is still unable to answer the door without feeling anxious.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that a large section of the equipment’s perimeter fencing had routinely been removed over a prolonged period. This allowed full access into the dangerous parts of the machinery, including moving parts that presented a risk of serious injury or death.

HSE found that Dragon Alfa Cement Limited failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees, including Martin Bennett, by failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery.

HSE guidance states employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. Wherever possible this should be through fixed guards. Further guidance can be found here.

Dragon Alfa Cement Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1 million and ordered to pay £9621 in costs at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2026.

HSE inspector Oliver Guiver said:

“Martin Bennett lost his life in an incident that should never have happened.

“The company repeatedly failed to ensure dangerous parts of this machinery were properly guarded, despite suitable safeguards being available. Had those measures been in place, Martin would not have died.

“Our thoughts remain with Martin’s family. He went to work expecting to return home at the end of the day, but because of the devastating consequences of these failings, he never did.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes, supported by paralegal officer Lynne Thomas and external Barrister Jemima Lovatt, of Cornerstone Barristers.

Further Information

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. Guidance on the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) can be found here.
5. 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 in England can be found here; and those for Scotland here.

• Company failed to put suitable measures in place to protect employees.
• Worker suffered long-term damage to his hand following the incident.
• HSE guidance emphasises importance of safe isolation procedures before cleaning machinery.

A manufacturing company has been fined £340,000 after an employee was seriously injured while cleaning machinery at its site in Swindon.

The 42-year-old man had been working a night shift for Tyco Electronics UK Limited at its premises on Faraday Road on 7 March 2023. He had been tasked with cleaning a machine used to manufacture pellets made from a mixture of raw materials. During the cleaning process, the worker manually raised the hydraulic ram inside the machine and opened the door. He then used his left hand to reach into the open space to clean the machine.

However, as he withdrew his arm, the door fell at the front of the machine and activated the hydraulic ram, trapping his limb. He managed to pull his arm free, tearing nerves and tendons, before shouting for help.

He required three operations to reattach his fingers and spent ten days in hospital. He attended Southmead Hospital twice weekly for dressing changes and physiotherapy. He continues to experience loss of sensation and movement in his fingers, although he has regained some movement in his thumb.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Tyco Electronics UK Limited failed to put suitable and sufficient measures in place to prevent employees from being put at risk while cleaning the machine.

The investigation also identified that employees had not been provided with sufficient information and instruction on how to use and clean the machine safely. Training was found to be inadequate, and employees were not suitably supervised.

HSE guidance on safe use of work equipment highlights the importance of following safe isolation and lock-off procedures before carrying out any maintenance or cleaning work on machinery. Employers must ensure that equipment is properly isolated from all power sources and that systems are regularly monitored and reviewed to prevent inadvertent start-up.

Tyco Electronics UK Limited, of Company Secretariat, Faraday Road, Swindon, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £340,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,145 at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 17 April 2026.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Emma Preston said:

“Machinery accidents during maintenance and cleaning are all too common, often with serious consequences.
“Workers should ensure that machinery is properly isolated from all sources of power so that it cannot restart during the task.
“Incidents like this can and should be prevented by following robust lock-off procedures.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Neenu Bains and supported by paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.

Further information:

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 are available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Safe use of work equipment – HSE and Using work equipment safely – HSE.
5. 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.

• Worker broke leg after falling from compost screening machine while clearing blockage.
• HSE investigation found company failed to assess risks and provide safe system of work.
• Employees were able to bypass safety measures while cleaning machinery.

A green waste recycling company based in West Sussex has been fined after an employee broke his leg when he fell from a compost screening machine.

Simon Pateman was working for Woodhorn Group Limited at its green waste recycling site in Tangmere, Chichester, on 16 February 2024 when he climbed onto a Komtech compost screening machine to clear a blockage from the fan housing.

The machine was suspended at height within a large barn and lacked sufficient measures to prevent falls. As Mr Pateman climbed onto the machine he slipped, trapping his left leg between the machine and its frame.

The momentum and lack of guardrails around the fan housing caused Mr Pateman to fall backwards onto the gantry, striking his head on a handrail while his leg remained trapped. He sustained a broken leg which required surgery to insert a metal plate and screws.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Woodhorn Group Limited had failed to assess the risks associated with cleaning the machine, including the risk of falls from height from the unguarded edges around the fan housing.

The company’s standard operating procedure also failed to provide employees with instructions on how to safely clean and unblock the fan housing. The investigation further found the company had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machine, with the interlocked gate not preventing access to employees during the cleaning process for the ‘stars’ – rotating discs used to break down larger clumps of compost

HSE guidance on working at height states that employers should carry out as much work as possible from the ground and ensure workers can safely access and leave areas where work at height is required. Equipment used for working at height must be suitable, stable and strong enough for the task and properly maintained.

Employers and those in control of work at height must ensure activities are properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people, including the use of appropriate equipment.

Woodhorn Group Limited, of Woodhorn Business Centre, Woodhorn Lane, Oving, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 2BX, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £6,500 in costs at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 16 March 2026.

HSE Inspector Stephanie Hickford-Smith said:

“This was an entirely preventable incident that has had a significant impact on Mr Pateman’s mobility and quality of life.

“The measures implemented by Woodhorn Group after HSE’s intervention, including new guarded working platforms around the fan housing and over the ‘stars’, demonstrate what was reasonably practicable and should have been in place all along.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski and paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.

Further information:

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. Guidance on working at height can be found here: Work at height – HSE
5. 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 in England can be found here and those for Scotland here.

• Worker fatally injured after becoming entangled in unguarded machinery.
• HSE investigation found failure to prevent access to dangerous moving parts.
• Company could have implemented recognised industry safety measures.

A South Yorkshire wire company has been sentenced following serious health and safety breaches that resulted in the death of one its workers.

David Lockwood, 45, sustained fatal injuries at Stanley Wire Limited’s site on Talbot Road in Penistone on 18 November 2021.

Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard how Mr Lockwood died after becoming entangled in an unguarded wire drawing and recoiling machine. The machine, known as a ‘Gravity Block’, had exposed moving parts which the worker was able to access.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to take effective measures to prevent employees from accessing dangerous moving parts of the wire drawing machine. The investigation identified that the company should have carried out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for the machine, and subsequently developed a safe system of work and clearly communicated this to its workforce.

HSE also found that fixed closed guards, interlocks or pressure mats should have been installed to prevent operatives from entering the Gravity Block while it was rotating. The company could have appointed a designated competent person on site and provided formal training to operatives, rather than relying on verbal instruction.

Recognised industry-standard safety measures could and should have been implemented on a number of machines, instead of allowing substandard conditions to persist over a prolonged period.

HSE has detailed guidance on the safe use of work equipment and machinery guarding, including the requirements under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), which is available at: Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – HSE

Stanley Wire Limited, of Stanley Mills, Talbot Road, Penistone, South Yorkshire, after pleading guilty at an early hearing of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay £6,652 in costs at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 22 January.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Charlotte Bligh said:

“Following the incident, eight Prohibition Notices were served on the company. The remedial action taken demonstrated that appropriate measures, such as effective guarding, were readily available and could have been put in place had the risks associated with the activity been properly considered.

“Companies are reminded that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required health and safety standards.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer, Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer, Benjamin Stobbart.

Further information:

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. Relevant guidance can be found here: Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – HSE
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed.

• Alban Watts died due to a ‘basic and simple’ failure.
• Dangerous parts of machinery had inadequate guarding.
• HSE guidance on working with machinery is available.

The family of a much loved man from Cumbria have spoken of their anger that his life was worth less than “the cost of a 50 pence screw”.

Alban Watts was killed while working for egg producer Bell Mount Farming Limited at its site in Great Salkeld in Penrith on 11 January 2023. The 61-year-old, who lived in the village of Blencow, died after being strangled, when his clothes became entangled in a hen feeding system at the farm.

Speaking after the company was fined £50,000, his brother Martin and sister Louise Robinson spoke of their sadness and anger at his death.

“Losing Alban has taken a part of our trio, without him we are an incomplete unit,” the siblings said.

“Not a day goes by where he is not missed.

“Alban worked at Bell Mount for 12 years and he enjoyed his job. But it’s taken the life of a member of our family for them to do their job.

“We are angry that his life was worth less than a 50p screw to a multi-million pound company. Such a small item could have saved his life. You can’t replace a person who meant so much to us.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Bell Mount Farming Limited failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery – in this case the rotating sprocket of the drive mechanism which powered the feeding system  in the poultry shed. The system operated for three minute periods at set times throughout the day; the remainder of the time it was motionless.

Mr Watts was working alone in one of the poultry sheds when his clothing came into contact with the unguarded sprocket during one of these feeding periods, causing it to become entangled. The investigation also identified that the guard designed to prevent such access was not fixed in place and could simply be lifted off.

Further examination of the guard identified that the bolt holes in the guard were stripped, preventing it from being secured to the frame of the drive unit.  Additionally, these holes in the guard did not align with those in the frame, making it impossible for the guard to be fixed securely.

Alban’s mother Noreen said her son was an accomplished mechanic, joiner and carpenter and that his death had been ‘cruel’.

“Mere words cannot express the horror and distress of hearing such an awful death and I can only hope Alban didn’t suffer,” she said.

“I have now had to go through every parent’s nightmare of surviving their own child, in tragic circumstances.

“Above all, I want lessons to be learnt from this tragedy.

“Due to the lack of a machine guard, my dear son Alban has been killed and taken from me.”

HSE guidance states employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.  This will normally be fixed guards which prevent persons coming into contact with those parts and require a tool to be removed; this was the expected control in this instance.  Further guidance can be found here Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – HSE.

Bell Mount Farming Limited, of Stainton, Penrith, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1)(a) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £6,038 in costs at a hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 20 November 2025.

After the hearing HSE Inspector Matthew Shepherd said: “What is most tragic about this case is the failure of the company was such a basic and simple one.

“What was such an easy fault to fix cost a much loved man his life and left a family without a brother and a son.

“Preventing access to dangerous parts of machinery is a well-known and long-standing part of any health and safety management system.

“Alban’s death shows the importance of ensuring machinery is adequately guarded and the devastating consequences of getting it wrong.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Farhat Basir.

Further information:

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. Relevant guidance can be found here Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – HSE
5. 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.