UK Baker Fined After Teen Employee Has Fingers Crushed

 

 

According to a report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the agency prosecuted Peter Ellis, 58, of Belinda’s Bakery over the incident, which happened in 2010. (WCxKit)

 

 

Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard that a male worker, who does not want to be named, was operating a dough molder at a Belinda’s Bakery in the village of Poulner, Hampshire. The machine has two powered running rollers which drive dough through the machine, to be molded to the correct shape and size.

 

 

While operating the machine, the worker put his right hand in between the rollers. He suffered crush and skin injuries to his fingers and sustained cuts and bruising to the middle and index fingers. The HSE investigation found there was no guarding in place to prevent access to the powered rollers on the machine. The court was told that immediately following the incident, Ellis reinstalled guarding on the dough molder, which had been removed some two years earlier. (WCxKit). Note: in a claim like this, the manufacturer should be put on notice of a potential "failure to guard" claim because the machine should have had "fail safe" guarding.

 

 

Ellis of Picket Hill, Ringwood, Hampshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) (a) of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. He was fined $800 and ordered to pay costs of $500.