A food company has been fined after a worker lost a finger in a mixing machine at the factory.

In October 2009, the employee was working for Bradford food manufacturer Arcadia Food Industries Limited and was preparing a food mixing machine for use.

When he reached into the discharge hatch of a spice mixing machine, his hand came into contact with the rotating paddles within the machine.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found this area should have been impossible to access when the machine was running – and an HSE inspector had already warned Arcadia about insufficient guarding on equipment during an earlier inspection.

On Thursday (03/06/10) at Bradford Magistrates’ Court, Arcadia Food Industries Limited of Pawson Street in Bradford pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £3,080 costs for failing to act on the earlier warning and failing to adhere to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Neil Hunter said:

‘The very fact Arcadia Food Industries had already been warned to improve safety makes this such a frustrating prosecution.

‘Fitting suitable guards is not costly, time consuming or difficult – and had they been in place, this incident would not have occurred and a painful and debilitating injury could have been avoided.

‘A suitable and sufficient risk assessment would have identified the need for control measures, such as guarding, to prevent access to moving parts within the mixing machine.

‘This case clearly demonstrates the value of taking time to properly assess potential risks, to identify control measures and to act on findings when issues are raised or warnings are given,’ added Mr Hunter.

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