Bread factory fined for dough cutting machine injury 17 December 2013

Pontypridd bread manufacturer Easibake Foods has been fined £14,000 plus £9,931 costs after an employee's hand was trapped by moving blades on an unguarded dough-cutting machine.

At a hearing yesterday (16 December 2013) Cwmbran Magistrates' Court heard that the worker was trying to clear a build-up of dough from the machine on 9 July 2012 when she put her hand close to the blades.

She suffered a fracture to her right index finger and multiple fractures to her thumb as well as soft tissue and nerve damage to her right hand, which required surgery.

The court was told that following the incident, the company fitted a fixed guard to the blades to prevent access while cleaning the machine.

Easibake Foods pleaded guilty to a single breach of PUWER (the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998).

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stuart Charles said: "Easibake Foods failed to take effective measures to prevent access to potentially dangerous parts of its machinery, therefore exposing wokers to the risk of injury.

"This was a completely needless and entirely preventable incident that left an employee with painful injuries," he continued.

"Sadly, it is not uncommon for employees in the food manufacturing industry to be injured when cleaning unguarded, operating machinery. HSE will not hesitate to prosecute companies where key safety devices are not fitted to potentially dangerous machinery."

Brian Tinham

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Health & Safety Executive

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