The incident occurred on 15 October 2024 at Mains of Auchenbadie Farm, near Banff in Aberdeenshire, during a “routine cleaning operation”.
The 36‑year‑old man was injured when his clothing became entangled in conveyor belt machinery, resulting in nerve damage in both arms.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the employee heard an unusual noise coming from an egg collection conveyor during his shift. Without stopping the machinery, as he had been trained to do, he climbed into the confined space between the two manure conveyor belts to investigate.
His clothing was caught in the in‑running nip between the pressure roller and the underside of the upper manure conveyor belt.
A colleague used an emergency stop button to halt the machinery and the emergency services were called to free him.
He was subsequently taken to hospital, where the nerve damage was determined. It took three months for full function to be restored to his right arm.
He returned to work in February 2025 and remains employed by Duncan Farms Limited, which owns and operates the site.
An HSE investigation concluded that while Duncan Farms Limited had “risk assessments in place covering entanglement hazards and had instructed employees to wear close‑fitting clothing, no fixed or interlocking guarding had been installed at the drive end of the manure conveyors to prevent access to the dangerous nip points when the conveyor was operating.
“There were no measures in place that would have prevented a person accessing the in‑running nips, or which would have automatically stopped the belt before they could be reached.”
Employers have a legal duty under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
According to the HSE, fixed or interlocking guarding is the most effective means of achieving this and should be the primary control measure – not reliance on clothing guidance or training alone.
As a result, Duncan Farms Limited has been fined £53,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to breaching Regulations 11(1) and (2) of PUWER and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
On the incident, HM inspector of health and safety Jurate Gruzaite said: “This incident could have had devastating consequences. Workers must never be placed in a position where they can access dangerous moving parts of machinery while it is in operation. Guarding is not optional; it is a fundamental requirement of the law.
“Had appropriate fixed guards been in place at the drive end of these conveyors, this injury would not have happened. I would urge all employers who use conveyor systems to review their guarding arrangements without delay.”
