Lincolnshire food ingredients manufacturer fined £180,000

A Lincolnshire food ingredients manufacturer was fined £180,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,622 after one of its employees suffered partial amputation of the four fingers on his right hand after it came into contact with the rotating vanes of a rotary valve.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found that the company had failed to carry out a risk assessment for the task of clearing blockages from collection hoppers. As a result, suitable measures to either avoid or minimise the risks from contact with dangerous moving parts of machinery and working at height were not implemented, and a safe system of work for the task was not provided to employees. The investigation also found that insufficient information, instruction and training had been provided to employees as to how the task should be carried out safely, and arrangements for supervision and monitoring were ineffective as dangerous working practices had persisted for a number of years unchallenged.