Dairy is fined for cutting blade incident

A SPA dairy has been fined after a worker had the tops of his fingers cut off.

The man's fingers were severed by a machine's cutting blade at the Robert Wiseman and Sons dairy at Stonebridge Cross Business Park, Droitwich, on April 8, 2006.

The firm was fined a total of £12,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,200 at Redditch Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.

The employee was undertaking a routine changeover operation on a machine that puts label sleeves around plastic milk bottles of differing sizes.

Automatic guards, to prevent access to the sleeving machine's cutting blades, had been overridden consequently the tops of three fingers were severed when the machine performed a single cutting cycle.

Speaking after the case, investigating inspector Ritchie McCrae, from the Health and Safety Executive, which brought the prosecution, said: "It's a fundamental expectation that employees should be able to work in safety, operating under systems that are regularly assessed and appropriately maintained. Assessing risks and implementing safe systems of work, particularly on moving machinery, often only requires simple control measures. However, it is essential that these measures are managed and implemented.

"The fine imposed by the court reflects that it was a first offence, but nonetheless left employees unnecessarily exposed to risk to their health and safety."

A spokesman for Robert Wiseman Dairies said: "We very much regret that this incident took place and have worked closely with the HSE to ensure that there can be no repetition.

"In practical terms, we have changed working practices and introduced measures to ensure that automatic safety guards cannot now be over-ridden."