An East Yorkshire company has been fined more than half a million pounds after an employee’s lower arm was severed when it became entangled in a conveyor.

Bartosz Gaj, a blender operative, had been attempting to clear a blockage at AB Agri Limited’s premises in Fridaythorpe, Driffield on 3 November 2021.

Mr Gaj’s hand was drawn into the conveyor mechanism, severing the 34-year-old’s right arm below the elbow. He had only been working at the company for a few months at the time of the incident. As a result of his life-changing injury, Mr Gaj was unable to return to work for more than two years. He has had to adapt all aspects of his daily life.

The conveyor had been installed a few months before the incident and was prone to blockages which needed to be cleared by pulling out a manual slide plate, removing the accumulated material and resetting a cut-off switch.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that operatives routinely cleared blockages themselves if they could be done quickly, even though they had not been adequately trained in isolation procedures. There had been no review of the risk assessment for operating the conveyor, when the new conveyor was installed.

The investigation also found that there was no system for checking that guards and safety features were in place prior to using the conveyor.

HSE guidance states that effective measures should be taken to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.  In addition, machinery should be isolated before interventions are carried out.  Employees should be adequately trained in isolation procedures. Further guidance is available on the HSE website.

AB Agri Limited of Weston Centre, Grosvenor Street, London pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £566,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,410 at Hull Magistrates’ Court on 5 March 2025.

HSE inspector Sally Gay said: “The life changing injury Mr Gaj suffered could so easily have been avoided by properly assessing the risks, and applying the 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.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jayne Wilson and paralegal officer Lucy Gallagher.

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.

A cosmetics company in Yorkshire has been fined more than £50,000 after an inspection by Britain’s workplace regulator uncovered serious electrical failings.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an unannounced inspection at the premises of Sabel Cosmetics Limited on Pellon Lane in Halifax on 5 July 2022.

During the visit, the inspectors uncovered electrical deficiencies that posed serious risks of both electric shock and electrocution to workers.

A subsequent investigation by HSE found there was a systemic failure within the company to address the risks identified with the electrical systems. The inadequate construction and maintenance of the electrical system at the premises presented an immediate risk of employees coming into direct contact with exposed live parts on equipment and machinery within the company premises. The company allowed the breaches to subsist over a long period of time.

Sabel Cosmetics Ltd of Pellon Lane, Halifax, West Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching  Regulation 4 (1) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The company was fined £56,695 and ordered to pay £5,949 in costs at Leeds Magistrates Court on 10 October 2024.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Andrea Jones commented: “This case shows the importance of HSE inspections to help ensure health and safety risks are being managed effectively and protect people at work.

“It is essential that electrical wiring installations and electrical equipment are constructed and maintained in a safe condition to prevent injuries or even worse, death.

“In this case, simple inexpensive steps could have been taken to remedy the most serious defects, instead the company’s inaction has resulted in more than £60,000 in fines and costs.”

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 in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
5. HSE guidance about electrical safety is available.

The director of a Halifax-based recycling company has been given a community order after a worker lost part of his left leg when it was crushed by machinery.

Daisy Ning Bai, 43, the director of BW Recycling Limited, was told she must complete 160 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to health and safety breaches. They related to an incident on 26 November 2019 at the company’s Cinderhall Works site on Sidall Top Lane.

The incident saw Nathan Bland, who was just 20 years of age at the time, have the lower part of his left leg instantly amputated. He also lost several toes from his right foot after his legs were crushed inside a waste baler – a piece of equipment used to compress waste products into a form that’s easy to manage for recycling or disposal.

In a victim personal statement, Mr Bland, who is now 25, said ‘every day was a struggle’ and that returning to work had proved to be very difficult due to the prosthetic leg he now has to wear.

“I can still have flashbacks,” he said.

“I also struggle as my stump has issues fitting on my prosthetic leg.

“The incident has also affected my social life as it has given me PTSD and depression.

“I have had to get a support worker to help with my daily activities to help me with daily activities such as shopping and going to appointments.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Daisy Ning Bai, introduced a working platform in front of the baler to make the job of filling the hopper easier for the operatives. The introduction of the platform in front of the hopper permitted easy access to the baling chamber including access to the dangerous moving parts of the baler itself.

Daisy Ning Bai, director of BW Recycling Limited of Ridge View Drive, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. She was given a 12-month community order and must complete 160 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £5,843 in costs.

• BW Recycling Limited was not prosecuted by HSE after it was dissolved via compulsory strike off on 5 December 2023.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Lee commented: “A young man has had his life changed forever as a result of this incident.

“Companies and individuals that use balers should not install working platforms or other devices in front of the hoppers on balers as it permits access to dangerous moving parts of the baler.

“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices”

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.