Suffolk farm fined after worker injured

Date:

11 February 2013

Release No:

HSE/E/007/13

A Suffolk farming partnership has been fined after a worker was injured when his arm was caught in the machinery of a bird feeding line.

Luke Parker, 29, from Eye, was working as an egg collector for Green Label Farms LLP, which breeds and rears ducks, when the incident happened on 7 November 2011.

He had been collecting eggs in one of the sheds at Cherry Gate Farm, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, when he noticed one of the feed lines was not working and feed was not being drawn along the line.

Ipswich Magistrates' Court was told today (11 February 2013) that it was not unusual for the lines to block and the farm workers knew how to get them running again. They would remove the cover on a chamber at the end of the top line and scoop out feed to clear the sensor. That would activate the rotating mechanism that carried the feed along the lines and clear the blockage.

As Mr Parker was scooping feed out of the chamber, the line powered up and the sleeve of his jumper and overall got caught on the rotating parts, pulling his hand and wrist under and around the machine.

He managed to cover the sensor with his other hand, stopping the line from working and called for help from his colleagues nearby.

The back of his right hand was badly cut, causing damage to the nerves and tendons of his arm. He still suffers a lot of pain from his injury and has restricted movement in the right wrist.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that there was no safe system of work in place for dealing with blocked feed lines nor was there any provision to ensure the secure locking off of the machinery to prevent it starting up inadvertently.

Green Labels Farm LLP, of Loomswood Farm, Hasketon, Woodbridge, Suffolk pleaded guilty to two offences: breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. It was fined a total of £5,000 and ordered to pay £8,372 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Saffron Turnell said:

"Mr Parker was lucky not to have been more seriously injured in what was an entirely preventable incident.

"The company should have had a safe system of work in place to handle blockages, which should have included isolating the power supply to the machinery before anyone put their hand inside the chamber where there were moving parts.

"A secure locking-off of the system would have also ensured the machinery could not start up once the chamber cover was removed.

"Farming is the UK's most at-risk industry sector with on average between 40 and 50 workers killed on British farms every year. That's a higher death rate than construction or manufacturing."

For more information about health and safety in agriculture, visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to prevent 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 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."
3. Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken... to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone."

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