On October 19, 2021, a food manufacturer based in Lincolnshire faced significant legal repercussions after one of its employees suffered severe injuries. The employee, while trying to clear a blocked water inlet, ended up being crushed within an industrial cooking machine. This unfortunate event resulted in two broken ribs.
The incident was heard at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court, where it was revealed that the machine’s safety systems had been overridden. This allowed the machine to operate while live, a dangerous condition that should have been avoided by isolating the machine before any maintenance work began.
An investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought to light that this risky method of working had become routine for the employees. The company, Bakkavor Fresh Cook Ltd, was found to have neglected essential safety protocols. No risk assessment had been performed for the task. Additionally, employees had not been provided with a safe system of work to follow, resulting in them developing their own unsafe practices. This included overriding safety systems and adopting hazardous working methods.
Bakkavor Fresh Cook Ltd, located on Sluice Road, Holbeach St Marks, Spalding, admitted to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The court fined the company £130,000 and ordered them to pay costs amounting to £2,607.10.
Following the trial, HSE inspector Tim Nicholson made a poignant statement. He emphasized the responsibility of those in control of work environments to devise safe methods of working. Providing necessary information, instruction, and training to workers is crucial. He stated, “If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to this incident, alongside good monitoring of the way the work was done, the injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”
