Puratos has been fined £120,000 after a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that employees were at risk of developing occupational asthma at its factory in Buckingham.
An HSE inspection carried out on 3 December 2024 identified a number of unsafe practices, including dust escaping from machinery due to leaks, the use of compressed airlines to blow down dust deposits, and dry sweeping using brushes and brooms.
A workplace dust monitoring report from 18 December 2024 confirmed that employees were exposed to inhalable dust concentrations above the workplace exposure limits set by HSE during the testing undertaken.
According to the HSE, exposure to certain dusty ingredients, such as flour, can lead to occupational asthma. These substances are called ‘respiratory sensitisers’ or asthmagens, and they can cause a change in people’s airways, known as the ‘hypersensitive state’. Not everyone who becomes sensitised goes on to get asthma, the HSE noted, but once the lungs become hypersensitive, further exposure to the substance, even at quite low levels, may trigger an attack.
The investigation also found that workers were required to manually lift 25kg sacks of ingredients on a daily basis. Repeated manual handling of heavy loads can lead to musculoskeletal injuries and should be avoided where reasonably practicable, the HSE added.
The site had previously been inspected in 2021 with enforcement action being taken in relation to employees’ exposure to dust as well as manual handling risks arising from its food manufacturing activities.
Following the investigation, Puratos Limited, of Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,270 at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court on 17 July 2026.
“Too many workers in bakeries are suffering from unnecessary exposure to dusty ingredients, including flour. When employers prevent exposure, the risk of occupational asthma is removed,” said HSE inspector Emma Page following the hearing.
“In the food and drink industries, around one-third of reportable injuries are acute injuries caused by handling and lifting. Employers must ensure they are properly protecting workers from the dangers of dusty ingredients and the manual handling of heavy materials.”
HSE continued its focus on tackling airborne ingredients, including flour dust, announcing in January that it was to be undertaking a series of inspections at large bakeries across the UK.
Puratos has been approached for comment.
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