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September 30, 2009

Worker killed checking machine whose guard had been compromised

A meat-processing factory has been fined £160,000 after a worker suffered fatal head injuries while inspecting a blending machine.

Lynda Trebilcock was working as a hygiene supervisor at Delico Ltd’s meat-processing plant in Snelshall West, Milton Keynes. On 19 May 2007, Ms Trebilcock was inspecting a blending machine to check that a colleague had cleaned it properly.

The machine is used to process raw meat into liquid form, which is then siphoned out of the machine, through a powered hatch door, and into a metal collection bin. The door is linked to a sensor and automatically closes when the bin is removed. But in this instance the machine had been tampered with, and a metal clipboard had been placed over the sensor to keep the door open at all times.

Although there were no witnesses to the accident it is thought that Ms Trebilcock disturbed the clipboard while inspecting the inside of the blender, which caused the door to close on her head. She died instantly from serious head injuries.

The HSE visited the site the following day, and the factory agreed to stop using the machine until improvements were made to prevent potential tampering with the sensor. The inspector also issued a Prohibition Notice on an identical machine, which had been tampered with to wire out part of its safety circuit.

After inspecting the whole site the inspector issued four Improvement Notices, which highlighted an unacceptable system of work for blending machines, lack of maintenance to the blenders, inappropriate arrangements for health and safety across the site, and lack of adequate training for the use of machinery.

Inspector Karl Howes told SHP: “All areas of risk need to be assessed, including cleaning and maintenance tasks, to make sure that tragic incidents like this do not happen.”

Delico appeared at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court on 25 September and pleaded guilty to breaching s2(1) of the HSWA 1974. It was fined £160,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £40,452.

In mitigation, the firm said it had no previous convictions and had fully complied with all the notices issued by the HSE. It has now retrained its cleaning staff and ensures that the blending machines are switched off during cleaning to prevent the door from closing and deny access to moving parts.

Inspector Howes added: “Employers must ensure that they implement safe systems of work for staff using machinery. They must make certain that safety features on machines, such as guards, are not overridden.
“The victim had only been working at the site for two months prior to the accident and hadn’t received proper training, so she was not aware of the risks presented by the machine.”

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