Bowland Country Feeds Limited (BCFL) pleaded guilty at Preston Magistrates’ Court to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. As well as the fine, the company must pay costs of £5,689.46.
Kevin Hebblethwaite, a 59-year-old mill operative employed at BCFL in Preston, was carrying out a work related activity on 16 February 2016, when his hand came into contact with rotating metal blades.
The Court heard that the incident resulted in the employee requiring amputation to parts of his index and middle fingers of his right dominant hand.
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released the decision of the Court and the results of its own investigation late last week.
The HSE probe found that BCFL had failed to ensure all machinery on site had the required level of safety guarding to prevent injuries to workers.
The watchdog’s investigation also found that BCFL had failed to properly plan and identify the risks associated with moving parts of machinery that were not properly guarded.
Annual workplace fatality report
In July, the HSE released its annual workplace fatality report.
The data highlighted, said the agency, the risks to older workers – around a quarter of fatal injuries in 2016/17 were to workers aged 60 or over, even though such workers made up only around 10% of the workforce.
Its report recorded 27 fatal injuries involving agricultural workers in that period. It said this sector continues to account for a large share of the annual fatality count. It has the highest rate of fatal injury of all the main industry sectors, around 18 times as high as the all industry rate.
Feed industry occupational ill health and injury risks
The HSE noted in a 2014 report that the main causes of injury in the grain, flour milling and animal feed manufacturing sector included:
Manual handling and lifting - the watchdog highlighted risks from lifting sacks, as well as falls from height such as off ladders, stairs and vehicles.
Slips and trips – the agency noted this can occur in areas where there are obstructions and uneven floors.
Machinery – the HSE warned about the dangers involved when using equipment like screw conveyors, rotary valves, roller mills, and mixers, mostly during maintenance, cleaning, and refilling.
Entry into silos – it stressed the risk from engulfment, lack of respirable atmosphere, mechanical hazards such as sweep augers.
Transport - the agency cautioned operatives over dangers when using lift trucks and trailers when tipping.
The watchdog also reported the main occupational ill health risks in the feed, grain and flour milling sector include musculoskeletal injury from manual handling, work-related upper limb disorders from repetitive packing operations, occupational asthma from exposure to grain and dust, noise induced hearing loss from working from grinders, seed graders, hammer mills, and bagging lines.