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A pet food manufacturer from the UK is facing a hefty fine after one of its employees lost an arm. The company had violated safety regulations.
The company based in Fridaythorpe, East Yorkshire, has been ordered to pay over 560,000 pounds, equivalent to around 665,200 euros, after an employee had their forearm severed. The incident occurred when the worker got caught in a conveyor belt, as reported by the British trade magazine Farmers Guide.
The worker had only been with the company for a few months. He was assigned to the mixing machine and on November 3, 2021, he attempted to clear a blockage. However, his hand got caught in the conveyor mechanism, resulting in the severe injury of losing his right arm below the elbow, confirmed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to the trade magazine. The 34-year-old man was unable to return to his workplace for over two years due to the injury, causing significant physical and mental strain as he had to adjust nearly all aspects of his daily life.
According to the magazine, the conveyor belt had been installed just a few months before the accident. It was known to frequently get blocked, requiring manual intervention to remove the accumulated material and reset a safety switch. An investigation revealed that the workers had not received sufficient training from the pet food manufacturer on how to handle such situations. Additionally, there was no system in place to verify the presence of safety devices and mechanisms before using the conveyor belt, contrary to HSE guidelines that require effective measures to prevent access to dangerous machine parts.
The company admitted to partially breaching the UK's workplace safety law. HSE stated that proper risk assessment and the implementation of correct control measures and safe work procedures could have easily prevented such an injury. The authority warns that enforcement action will not hesitate to be taken against those who fail to adhere to the necessary standards.