Baker fined after worker suffers crush injuries

Date:

24 November 2011

Release No:

COISE/2411

A baker from Hampshire has been fined after a teenage worker had his fingers crushed in a machine at a bakery near Ringwood.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Peter Ellis, 58, of Belinda's Bakery over the incident, which happened on Tuesday 30 November 2010.

Southampton Magistrates' Court heard that a male worker, who does not want to be named, was operating a dough moulder at a Belinda's Bakery in the village of Poulner, Hampshire. The machine has two powered running rollers which drive dough through the machine, to be moulded to the correct shape and size.

While operating the machine, the worker put his right hand in between the rollers. He suffered crush and skin injuries to his fingers and sustained cuts and bruising to the middle and index fingers.

The HSE investigation found there was no guarding in place to prevent access to the powered rollers on the machine. The court was told that immediately following the incident, Mr Ellis reinstalled guarding on the dough moulder, which had been removed some two years earlier.

After the hearing, HSE's inspector Craig Varian said:

"The risks from these types of machines are well known in the industry and this incident could have resulted in far worse injuries.

"Immediately following the incident Mr Ellis installed a guard which cuts the power to the machine, but had the guarding been in place the employee would not have been able to have accessed the dangerous parts of the machinery and we would not be in court today."

Peter Ellis of Picket Hill, Ringwood, Hampshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1)(a) of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £300.

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.
2. Regulation 11(1)(a) of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states: Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken in accordance with paragraph (2) which are effective to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar.
3. HSE information and news releases are available at www.hse.gov.uk.

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