The Health and Safety Executive has taken an egg production firm based in Bromsgrove to task after learning that one of its employees lost two of his fingers in a gruesome accident at work, experts say.
Bumble Hole Foods Ltd had hired the twenty five year old man – whose name has been withheld from the public – to clean one of the drains on the factory’s production line, but he lost his index finger and part of his middle finger when one of his hands came into contact with a heavy-duty blade within the drain mechanism. The HSE became involved after gaining knowledge of the young man’s work accident claim, launching an investigation into the incident that revealed the firm had neglected to conduct an adequate risk assessment regarding workers who were instructed to clean around the blade, also discovering that the factory’s employees were granted access to the dangerous internal workings of many machines without being given proper safety training by qualified professionals.
The Worcestershire-based company, located at Fockbury, in Bromsgrove, was called befor a hearing at Redditch Magistrates’ Court by the HSE, where the watchdog agency successfully prosecuted the firm. As a result, Bumble Hole Foods Ltd admitted to breaching health and safety regulations concerning the provision and use of work equipment, earning a fine of £13,000 for the role their negligence played in their worker’s injuries, and were also told to pay court costs totaling £6,303.
After the hearing was adjourned, one inspector from the HSE remarked that not only had the unfortunate accident been completely foreseeable, the incident could have been prevented all too easily.