SIM 01/2008/01
This SIM sets out targeting guidelines and links to guidance for inspection in the food and drink manufacturing industries.
This SIM sets out targeting guidelines and links to guidance for inspection in the food and drink manufacturing industries.
1 There are 30 separate food and drink manufacturing industries ranging from slaughterhouses to whisky distilling. These industries occupy nearly 6000 factories and employ around 465,000 workers. The bakery and meat sectors are the largest employing two-thirds of food industry workers.
2 The food and drink manufacturing industry is amongst the highest of industry injury rates, both for Over 3 Day and major injuries. The overall injury rate for food manufacture is 1.6 times the manufacturing average and the food and drink industries cause 23% of all manufacturing injuries.
3 Since 1990/91 HSE has been running a ‘Recipe for Safety’ initiative jointly with the food and drink manufacturing industries. This initiative is described and promoted in HSEs publication A Recipe for Safety (HSG252) now in its third edition. The initiative continues to concentrate on the main causes of injury and occupational ill health in the food/drink industries and has resulted in an impressive 46% reduction in the overall injury incidence rate over the past 16 years. Total injuries in food manufacture dropped by 13% in 2006/07 (compared with 05/06) highlighting the continuing improvement. Inspection during 2008/09 contributes to the ‘Recipe for Safety’ initiative, which will also be pursued at national level by the Agriculture and Food Sector working with trade associations through the Food Manufacture H&S Forum.
4 Priority should be given to inspection/targeting of food and drink industries with the higher injury rates. The larger of these industries are:
5 The following topics are of most concern.
5.1 Manual handling injuries in food/drink manufacture cause the greatest proportion of injuries, comprising 36% of RIDDOR reported injuries. Research by the Food Industry Medical Association (FIMA) concluded that back pain was the major cause of ill health in food manufacture with Upper Limb Disorders (ULDs) being the third highest cause (in second place was mental ill health). Additionally, in the food sector, upper limb disorders (from repetitive production line work etc) comprise 38% of compensation cases under the Department of Work and Pensions Industrial Injuries Scheme. All employees are at risk, particularly those handling heavy loads or those carrying out repetitive lifting or production tasks without controls.
5.2 Priority should be given to the industries listed in para.4, as these industries have the higher injury rates. Particular emphasis should be placed on the 5 main causes of MSD risk in food and drink manufacture:
5.3 Industry specific guidance:
5.4 Slips and trips in the food/drink industries comprise the greatest proportion of major injuries (37%) and also 26% of Over 3 Day injuries. Furthermore, slips and trips in food manufacture occur at a rate 2.6 times the manufacturing average. Some 90% of slips result from wet or contaminated floors. All employees in these industries are at risk. A national survey by inspectors in 2000/01 indicated that slips risks were significant in 63% of food and drink premises. The number of slips major injuries in food manufacture dropped by 14% in 2006/07 (compared with 05/06) highlighting that significant injury reduction can be achieved. Trips account for only 14% of slips and trips in the food industry.
5.5 During routine food processing the actual risk is likely to be of possible serious injury, in the absence of management controls. However, a probable risk of serious injury will exist if there are likely to be added consequences, for example carrying hot liquids or a slip which might cause a fall from height.
5.6 Priority should be given to the industries listed in para.4, as these industries have the higher injury rates. Particular emphasis should be placed on keeping floors dry and free from food product. Where it is not reasonably practicable to keep floors dry, appropriate slip resistance (floor and/or footwear) should be provided. Research carried out for HSE clearly indicates that floors which have sufficient micro-roughness to prevent slips can still be hygienically cleaned.
5.7 HSE are running a major publicity led Slips, Trips and Falls national campaign called Shattered Lives in February/March 2008, supported by sector specific advertising, one of the targets for which was food manufacturing. In order to promote the campaign messages and assess the extent to which they have been heard and acted upon, inspectors are asked to mention the campaign during visits, particularly during the first few months of 2008/09, and refer dutyholders to the campaign website where they were unaware of it. Where they had heard of it, inspectors are asked to check whether the campaign messages have been acted upon.
5.9 Falls from height in the food and drink manufacturing industries cause about 30% of fatal accidents and are the second highest cause of major injury comprising about 12% of this category. Most falls (85%) occur from ladders, vehicles/ fork lift trucks (FLTs), machinery/plant, platforms and stairs. The activity being carried out at the time of fall is split equally between cleaning, product sampling and maintenance.
5.10 In 2005/06 there were 65 falls from height in food and drink manufacture. This increased by 29% to 84 falls from height in 2006/07 during a period when all other injury types in food manufacture were declining. Consequently particular attention needs to be paid to this topic.
5.11 Industry specific guidance:
5.12 Injuries from machinery in the food and drink manufacturing industries cause about 30% of the industry’s fatal accidents and are the third highest cause of major injury comprising about 11% of this category. There were 100 machinery accidents in food manufacture in 2006/07, a 21% decrease from 2005/06.
5.13 Almost one-third of the machinery injuries occur at flat-belt conveyors, possibly due to their large population, so these require particular attention. Over 90% of conveyor injuries involve the well known hazards such as in-running nips, transmission parts and trapping points between moving and fixed parts.
5.14 The greatest proportion of GB’s packaging machinery is used in food and drink manufacture. Many of these machines can cause serious or fatal injury (e.g. palletisers) if not properly safeguarded. European CEN ‘C’ standards exist for the main 6 classes of packaging machinery and a further standard (for strapping machines) is in draft.
5.15 Industry specific guidance:
Safe Interventions Enforcement Initiative
5.16 HSE Manufacturing Sector’s Safe Interventions Project is aimed at preventing fatal and major injuries to people involved in clearing blockages or performing running repairs inside dangerous machines due to unexpected start-up. The categories of machines being targeted include packaging machinery (see paras 5.14 and 5.15). This initiative now also covers work in confined spaces.
5.17 Workplace transport causes about 40% of fatal injuries in the food and drink manufacturing industries. In the 7 year period April 2000 – March 2007, 15 workers were fatally injured in transport related accidents in food factories. Around 60% of injuries (around 270 injuries/year) result from being struck by a vehicle/FLT. About 25% of injuries result in falls from vehicles, including falls from the back of lorries and from the forks of FLTs. Around 10% of injuries result from trapping between the vehicle and another vehicle or fixed object.
5.18 Industry specific guidance:
5.19 Noise in food/drink manufacture accounts for about 75% of the industry’s occupational health insurance claims. Most food and drink industries are affected, for example drinks, meat, milling, bakery and dairy. Noise levels can be high either in large areas (e.g. bottling halls) or locally from noisy plant and machinery (e.g. product impact on hoppers or meat bowl choppers).
5.20 Industry specific guidance:
5.21 Occupational dermatitis in food manufacture is caused by contact with water, soaps and detergents (55% of cases) and contact with a wide variety of food (40% of cases) such as sugar, flour/dough, citrus fruits, vegetables, spices, fish and seafood’s, meat and poultry.
5.22 In food preparation dermatitis usually affects the hands and forearms. It affects an estimated 8,500 people in the food and catering industries each year.
5.23 Industry specific guidance:
5.24 Occupational asthma in food manufacture occurs primarily in the bakery industry and is caused by inhalation of dust from grain and flour. Bakers have the highest incidence rate of asthma among all occupations in all industries. Inspection should concentrate on small and medium sized bakeries as these have a higher incidence of asthma than large plant bakeries. For further guidance see SIM01/2007/09 Workplace exposure limit for flour dust and SIM 01/2008/02 Inspection 2008/09: Flour dust in bakeries.
5.25 Industry specific guidance:
6 The topic packs on Migrant Working , Duty to Manage Asbestos, and Worker Consultation and Involvement may be relevant and useful when engaging with this sector, and also the Diversity & Delivery pages on the intranet.
7 The above topics can be targeted at visits to food and drink factories – especially those industries listed in para.4 - during inspection year 2008/09.
