Firm faces £35,000 fine for injured employee

Poultry and food processing company Moy Park has been fined tens of thousands of pounds after a maintenance engineer’s arm was crushed in an industrial conveyor.

After the incident, which happened in April 2009, Michael May sustained severe injuries and his arm was broken in several places. Grantham Magistrates’ Court fined the company £35,000 and ordered it to pay £3,115 in costs.
“This incident could have so easily been avoided if effective systems had been in place to ensure that the safety of engineers working on faults and machines was properly guarded,” said Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Judith McNulty-Green.
The HSE prosecuted Moy Park for failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees under section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company pleaded guilty to that charge and for failing to ensure that measures were in place to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery under 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The incident happened at the company’s Anwick site, near Sleaford.