October 15th, 2009
A pet food manufacturing company has been fined £10,000 after one of its employees was crushed to death in a piece of machinery.
John O’Connor, 38, had been working at the Butcher’s Pet Care factory in Northamptonshire and entered a palletising machine to clear a blockage.
However, when he moved the can of pet food that had become jammed, the fully-automated machine restarted.
Mr O’Conor was pulled into its workings and was crushed to death.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that staff should not have been able to access the moving parts of machines, which should all have had guards in place.
Butcher’s operations director Philip Thompson was fined for breaching work equipment regulations and was ordered to pay a fine and compensation.
HSE inspector Neil Craig said: "This was far from being an isolated incident. The unfenced gap between the stair rails had been there for nearly two years."
According to HSE statistics, there were 35 fatal injuries to workers in manufacturing between 2007 and 2008.
Tags: Butcher, Conor, Fatal Injuries, Food Manufacturing, Gap, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hse, Manufacturing Company, Moving Parts, Neil Craig, Northamptonshire, O Connor, Operations Director, Pet Care, Pet Food, Philip Thompson, Stair Rails, Statistics
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December 10th, 2008
A man has received a compensation payout after suffering an injury at his former place of work.
Joe Large, 47, was employed at Ferrotech Limited in Tipton when he fell down a gap between two machines.
There should not have been any room between the equipment, but a platform had not been correctly lined up and there was a four-inch gap.
Mr Large tore ligaments in his ankle and was in a cast for six weeks. However, it still swells up today and the hours that Mr Large can work are significantly restricted.
In a new development, Ferrotech Limited has admitted liability for the accident and has agreed a payout of £17,000 for the injured man.
A spokesperson from his trade union, Unite, said: "This kind of accident proves how important it is for businesses to do risk assessments and to have good health and safety procedures in place."
If any safety regulations are breached and an injury occurs as a result of this negligence, the victim may be eligible for compensation. The HSE will prosecute where appropriate employers that break the law.
Tags: Ferrotech, Gap, Good Health, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Procedures, Hse, Inch Gap, Negligence, Risk Assessments, Safety Regulations, Six Weeks, Spokesperson, Tipton, Workplace Accident
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