Biscuit giant prosecuted after worker's fingers severed in mixing machine

Date:

30 July 2010

Release No:

YH/196/10

One of the UK's leading food manufacturers was today (30 July) fined £10,000 after a worker had two fingers sliced off in one of its mixing machines.

McVities manufacturer United Biscuits (UK) Ltd, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation into the incident on 9 April 2009 at a cake baking site in Halifax.

Halifax Magistrates court heard how an employee, who asked not to be named, lost two fingers on her right hand when she attempted to clear a blockage in an industrial sized mixer, used to combine ingredients for flapjacks.

HSE's investigation found the employee had to scale a two metre fixed step ladder in order to reach the machine, empty the mixture inside, and then restart it. Though the mixer had stopped, the blades inside were still rotating and when she reached in her fingers were severed.

The company pleaded guilty of breaching section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 after the incident at the McVities Cake Company on Hopwood Lane. In addition to the £10,000 fine, the company was also ordered to pay £2,889 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Rachel Brittain said:

"An incident like this should not happen in any company, but taking place in such a large scale food manufacturer such as this is absolutely unacceptable.

"Preventing access to moving parts and fitting guards is an elementary and essential precautionary measure and inexpensive. By not putting these measures in place United Biscuits failed to fulfil its duty of care to its employees."

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.www.hse.gov.uk
2. Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that..."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"
3. HSE information and news releases can be accessed on the Internet http://www.hse.gov.uk

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