Food Company Fined After Worker Loses Hand
2 Sisters Food Group has been fined £230,000 after two serious accidents occurred within two months.
A European food business has received a fine of £230,000 due to two accidents within two months. The incidents took place in a factory in Suffolk where the company, 2 Sisters Food Group, produces raw and prepared chicken products. The first involved Shaun Alexander, 42, who was helping a member of staff to clean equipment in December 2009. The employee’s hand was pulled into two cogs and crushed due to a safety guard that had been removed.
The second accident took place in January 2010 when fork lift driver Malcolm Raven, 54, was left to man the pre-slaughter area for the chickens. The worker had entered an enclosure to clear a blockage that had occurred in the system when his arm became trapped and was subsequently broken. It came to light that the company had arranged for a by-pass device to be fitted that could overrule a safety control that would have prevented this incident.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, later prosecuted 2 Sisters Food Group for both incidents. The company admitted to breaching Health and Safety law and was fined for the injuries. The total fines came to £230,000, with costs ordered to pay of £24,350. Speaking on behalf of HSE, Julie Jarvey commented:
“HSE will not hesitate to take companies, big or small, to court and seek tough penalties when it finds them taking a lax attitude to their workers’ safety.”Helen Grieves, Principle Solicitor at personal injury claims specialist Grieves Solicitors, added:
“It is reassuring to see the 2 Sisters Food Group brought to justice, after showcasing such a negligent approach to health and safety. Both accidents were wholly avoidable and the injuries sustained could have been even more serious. Businesses are responsible for the safety of their employees – when something of this nature occurs they are liable.”
“As personal injury solicitors, Grieves see a lot of work related injury claims. In such situations, the worker deserves to compensation for the distress and suffering the incident has incurred”
Grieves Solicitors is a law firm based in Huddersfield that specialises in recovering personal injury compensation for accident victims. For more information about the company’s services, visit the Grieves Solicitors website: http://www.grieves-solicitors.co.uk/
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- Helen Grieves
- Senior Solicitor
- Grieves Solicitors
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