A pet-food manufacturer has been hit with a six-figure fine over machine-guarding failures that led to a worker being crushed to death inside a food processing machine.
The prosecution followed an incident at Naturediet Pet Foods Ltd’s factory in Chiddingfold, Surrey on 1 February 2006. One of the firm’s employees, Marcus Snow, was operating a semi-automatic ‘off-load machine’, which is used to transfer finished cartons of dog food from a stack of trays on to a conveyor.
During this operation the machine became jammed, so Mr Snow crawled into the device to clear the blockage. While he was inside the machine, a pneumatic pick-up unit came down and pinned him against the stack of trays. The unit continued to exert downward pressure on to his chest and he died from asphyxiation.
The entrances at both ends of the machine were guarded by photoelectric light curtains, which act as sensors to deactivate the device if a person attempts to enter it. The HSE found that both of the guards had been wired out, allowing workers to gain whole-body access to the dangerous parts of the machine. In addition, the interlock on the access gate to the machine enclosure had been by-passed, allowing the machine to run with the guard door open.
Investigators also discovered that guards had been disabled on a number of other machines at the site. HSE inspector, Janet Hanson, said: “This joint investigation with Surrey Police highlighted a number of serious and deliberate deficiencies in the safeguarding of the machine Mr Snow was working on. Other machines at the site were also found to have safeguards by-passed, and a number of Prohibition Notices were served at the time of the investigation.”
Naturediet appeared at the Old Bailey on 12 March and pleaded guilty to breaching s2(1) of the HSWA 1974. The firm was fined £157,500 but no costs were awarded.
In mitigation, the firm expressed its remorse for the accident and said it had a good safety record. It entered a timely guilty plea and fully complied with the Prohibition Notices.
Inspector Hanson added: “The ultimate cost of these deficiencies was borne by Mr Snow, who tragically paid for them with his life. This tragic incident was entirely foreseeable and entirely preventable. The poor standards of machinery guarding on site meant that it was only a matter of time before the risk of serious personal injury was realised.
“Employers are reminded that health and safety legislation requires all dangerous parts of machinery to be guarded.”
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