Samworth Brothers has been fined £594,000 after an employee and a contractor suffered scald injuries at its Kettleby Foods factory in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
The two men were splashed with hot water while carrying out maintenance on steam pipework at the site. One of the men suffered 4%-5% subdermal burns, while the other suffered 9% subdermal, second-degree burns.
The incident occurred as the men were working to replace a leaking gasket in an isolation valve on steam pipework in the boiler room of the factory. They were undertaking the work from a gantry above the boiler.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the gantry did not provide access to the specific part of the pipework they were working on. As a result, both men had to step off the gantry and work on top of the boiler.
When they removed the gasket, they were both splashed with hot water from the pipework, suffering scald injuries.
A subsequent investigation by HSE found that Samworth Brothers had not risk-assessed the tank and had failed to document a safe system of work for the activity being undertaken.
HSE also found that suitable isolation and lock-off procedures were not being used at the time of the incident and that the work was undertaken at height without sufficient measures in place to prevent a fall.
The investigation also identified a lack of adequate supervision and monitoring procedures to ensure expected processes were followed.
HSE inspector Stacey Gamwell said: “A company this size should have known better. This was a wholly avoidable incident which could have resulted in even more serious consequences.
“If Samworth Brothers Ltd had properly risk-assessed the task, they would have identified the need for proper controls for working at height, as well as robust isolation and lock-off procedures, including supervision and monitoring to make sure those procedures and controls were properly enforced.”
She continued: “Their failure led to severe and painful scalding injuries which should never have happened. The result handed down should serve as a warning to employers; when it comes to keeping people safe, HSE won’t hesitate to take action against firms which fall short.”
HSE guidance states that adequate planning of tasks requiring isolation should include the preparation and coordination of job documentation such as risk assessments, method statements, permits and isolation certificates. The integrity of isolations should be proven before proceeding with intrusive work.
When working at height, employers should ensure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people, including using the correct equipment for the task.
Samworth Brothers Limited, of Chetwode House, 1 Samworth Way, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The company was fined £594,000 and ordered to pay £5,834 in prosecution costs, in full, and a £2,000 victim surcharge at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 4 September 2026.
The company was also ordered to pay £6,000 in compensation to the injured employee. All sums are to be paid by 4 January 2027.
In a statement given to Food Manufacture, a Samworth Brothers spokesperson said: “The health and safety of our colleagues is our most important priority, and we are very sorry that this incident happened. It is important to learn from these events. Immediately after the accident we launched an extensive internal review to fully understand what had happened.
“As a result of this internal investigation, several changes were made immediately to further improve our health and safety systems and processes in this area of work across our business. In addition, we co-operated very closely with the Health and Safety Executive on their own investigations.”
The Kettleby Foods site produces items for some of the best-known brands within the Samworth Brothers portfolio, including Ginsters, Soreen and the West Cornwall Pasty Co.
