The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted an international food company after an employee’s arm was crushed in an industrial conveyor.

In April 2009, Michael May from Reepham in Lincolnshire was working for food manufacturing company Moy Park Ltd at their site in Anwick, near Sleaford.

Mr May leaned into the crossover conveyor – which is used to move boxes from one part of a conveyor to another – and the moving mechanism shifted while he was doing this.

Mr May’s arm was crushed between the frame of the cross-over and the moving arm. He sustained severe crush injuries and his arm was broken in more than one place.

On Thursday, 11 February 2010, at Grantham Magistrates’ Court, Moy Park Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of their employees under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The company also pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to ensure that measures were in place to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery under 11(1) of the Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998.

The company – which has its head office in Northern Ireland, but which also has farms and factories across the Midlands – was fined a total of £35,000 and ordered to pay £3,115 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Judith McNulty Green said:

‘Faulty machinery can be easily fixed – but broken bones and torn tendons are not so quickly repaired.

‘This incident could have so easily been avoided if effective systems were in place to ensure the safety of engineers working on faults – and machines were properly guarded.’

© 5r1 Limited 2010