Potato firm fined £300,000

A Lincolnshire food manufacturing company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,925 after employees were exposed to sulphur dioxide (SO₂) gas released as a result of poor planning and unsafe systems of work during the commissioning and operation of a new potato processing line.  During the incident (June 2018) the factory had to be evacuated and other workers in the vicinity were affected. A maintenance engineer and another worker were so badly affected that they were not able to return to work due to the effects of the gas on their lungs.