An animal feed manufacturer was issued with a £40,000 fine today for health and safety breaches after a worker lost a hand whist working on a machine.An agency worker lost his hand as a result of working on a grain roller in December 2019 which did not have a guard attached to it.
A guilty plea was also entered to a second charge of failing to ensure the safety of a non-employee on the same date. The mangle-type machine includes two crusher rollers which rotate in opposite direction and it's used to crack maze kernals open. He pressed the 'emergency stop' button several times which failed to halt the machine and had to raise the alarm by calling a colleague on his mobile phone.
In a Victim Impact Statement, the worker set out the initial pain he was in and also spoke of the impact losing his hand has had both on a daily living basis and financially.