A multinational food company has been fined over £300,000 after a worker lost four fingers on his right hand while unblocking a machine at a Glasgow site.
Kerry Ingredients (UK) Limited received the fine following an incident at its Hillington factory on August 4, 2021. The 39-year-old man was working on a mixer at the site, where dry seasoning blends and mixes are manufactured for the food industry.
During the mixing process, the machine developed a blockage. The worker attempted to clear it by inserting his right hand into the machine. Unfortunately, his hand came into contact with the rotating blades, resulting in the amputation of four fingers. Since the incident, the man has had to re-learn how to do everything with his left hand.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that there were no fixed guards preventing access to the blades from the underside. It also found there were no interlocked guards to stop the rotating parts if any component on the underside of the mixer were removed.
Kerry Ingredients (UK) Limited of Bradley Road, Bristol, pleaded guilty on July 26, 2024, to a contravention of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1988, Regulations 11(1) and (2), and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Section 33(1)©. At a further hearing on August 8, 2024, the company was fined £360,000.
HSE principal inspector Hazel Dobb said, “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out 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.”
