This after an employee lost part of his left index finger while reaching into the dough divider to remove a piece of dough that was stuck.
A subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Truffles Bakers and Confectioners Limited had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
Kevin Norman was working at the company’s production site in Henfield, West Sussex, on 20 December 2023, when the 64-year old’s finger got caught in a shear point created between the rotating drum and a transfer roller.
Despite the machine having guards and interlocks, the tunnel guard over the conveyor was too short, which allowed Norman to reach through it and remove the dough while the machine was still running. This resulted in him losing part of his finger.
Employers are required to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous part of machinery, such as installing fixed or interlocked guarding that is situated at sufficient distance from the danger zone.
During a hearing on 14 April 2025 at Worthing Magistrates Court, Truffles Bakers and Confectioners Limited was fined £12,000 and was ordered to pay £3,045.65 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of Regulation 11(1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Stephanie Hickford-Smith said: “Employers must constantly review the guarding arrangements on machines to ensure there is no access to dangerous parts.
“As an employer, you cannot rely solely on the presence of a guard. You must make sure it works effectively, and persons are not able to bypass it.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Samantha Tiger and supported by paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.
In related news, two people were taken to hospital last week after a fire at a Nestlé factory in Cumbria.
The Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service was called to the site at 7.10am on 14 April after a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a Nestlé building.
