Livwell Limited has been fined for safety breaches after a worker lost the top of his finger trying to clear a dough blockage from a poorly guarded machine.
The incident happened, at Livwell’s bakery in Main Street, Hull, when the agency worker’s finger came into contact with a moving part of the dough moulding machine.
The machine sliced off the top of his right middle finger and he later had to have the part between the tip and first joint amputated. He was unable to work for three months, but has now returned to full-time employment at the bakery.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident on 24 May 2011 and prosecuted the company at Hull Magistrates yesterday (8 July) for failing to prevent access by workers to dangerous moving parts of machinery.
Livwell Ltd was fined £9,000 and ordered to pay £18,318 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
Doctor Nicholas Tosney, HSE inspector, said: “This incident was wholly avoidable. The hazards were identified, but effective measures were not taken by the company to prevent access to all the dangerous parts of the machine.
“The simple addition of a tunnel guard to this machine – which the company has now installed – could have saved a young man having to suffer the amputation of part of his finger.”
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