A FOOD manufacturer has been fined £12,000 and ordered to pay more than £5,000 in costs after a worker had his little finger and ring finger severed.
Surrey based company Noon Products Ltd was prosecuted yesterday (Sept 25) by the Health and Executive following an investigation into the incident on July 26, 2012.
Westminster Magistrates' Court heard how the worker, a 35-year-old from Middlesex who asked not to be named, had been using a tall rack with wheels – which featured an unsuccessfully trialled custom made sheet metal top cover – to move a tray of products.
The court heard the rack had been poorly loaded by a colleague and as the man pushed it, it overbalanced and toppled over and the sharp edge of the top cover landed directly on his right hand cutting clean through the fingers and knuckles on his right hand.
He was hospitalised for 10 days as surgeons reattached his fingers but he is still unable to return to work and has been left with limited mobility.
HSE found the rack was inherently unsafe because it was top heavy thanks to the custom cover, which had been made in-house, and that it should have been removed as soon as an earlier trial had established it required modification, especially as a standard cover was available from the rack manufacturer that would have provided a safer suitable alternative.
Magistrates were told the incident could also have been prevented had the company better communicated and monitored the risks arising from overloading the rack, which are well known in the industry.
After the hearing HSE Inspector Neil Fry said: "Thankfully this incident was not symptomatic of widespread failures at Noon Products Ltd. The company has a proactive commitment to health and safety, and is keen to instigate improvements.
"Nevertheless, a worker was seriously injured and it serves as a reminder that irrespective of what processes and systems are in place you have to be vigilant at all times.
"Equipment must be safe, all employees must be competent and properly trained, and any non-compliance with safe-working practices must be stopped."
Noon Products Ltd, of Thorpe Lea Road, Egham, Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1)of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
