Warburtons have pleaded guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 when an agency worker trapped his arm in machinery.
The employee suffered friction burns which required skin grafts.
Tim Pole, prosecuting on behalf of the HSE, said the alarm was raised when a worker heard ‘a moaning sound’ and ‘a red emergency’ button failed to halt the conveyor belt. The machine eventually stopped when another worker put his hand through a ‘light curtain’.
Judge Rosalind Coe QC said “guarding of the machines was inconsistent. Remedial steps were simple and not unduly expensive”.
The company have been fined £1.9m and must pay full costs of £21,459.71.
Tim Pole is a member of the Regulatory and Licensing Group at No5.
