Catalogue of safety breaches at Bedfordshire printing factory leads to prosecution

Date:

11 December 2009

Release No:

HSE-E-42

A printing company has been fined £20,000 after an investigation into a worker's injury exposed a series of health and safety breaches at its Bedfordshire factory.

Flitwick firm Colpac Ltd and two of its directors - Terry Langton, of Huntsmead, Northampton, and Stephen Burton, of Kempston, Bedford - were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The offences came to light when a worker at the food packaging printing factory was injured trying to release a blockage in a machine. Sandra Aka, from Bedford, tried to retrieve a carton which was stuck in a window patching machine when her arm was caught between two rollers. Miss Aka, who was 20 at the time of the incident on 14 August 2008, suffered bruising and cuts to her left arm.

A HSE investigation into the incident found that Colpac had failed to provide Miss Aka with adequate training to use the machine.

Inspectors also uncovered a series of other safety failings, including electrical safety, machinery isolation, manual handling and machinery guard checks. Five prohibition notices were served ordering the company to stop some activities until risks to workers had been addressed. Four further improvement notices were later issued requiring Colpac to tackle less pressing safety matters.

Colpac admitted two health and safety charges when it appeared yesterday (Thursday 10 December 2009) at Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire Magistrates' Court. The company was fined £17,000 for breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, fined £3,000 for breaching Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998, and ordered to pay £5,129 costs. Operations director Terry Langton admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (by virtue of Section 37(1)) and was fined £3,000. Manager Steve Burton admitted breaching Section 7 of the same Act and was fined £800.

HSE Inspector Emma Rowlands said:

"What happened to Miss Aka was a serious incident in its own right. But for a company to face nine improvement or prohibition notices shows a complete disregard for workers' safety and welfare. We make no apology for intervening and ordering urgent action to be taken - these steps needed to be made quickly before somebody else was seriously injured or, worse still, killed.

"HSE does not take breaches of health and safety legislation lightly and will do everything in its power to prosecute companies and individuals that do not follow the law."

Notes to editors

1. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."
2. Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employee while at work to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work; and as regards any duty or requirement imposed on his employer or any other person by or under any of the relevant statutory provisions, to co-operate with him so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with."
3. Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "Where an offence under any of the relevant statutory provisions committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or a person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, he as well as the body corporate shall be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly."
4. Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken which are effective - (a) to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock bar; or (b) to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone."
5. More information about health and safety in printing factories can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/printing/machine/

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