Tayto Group Limited, a company that manufactures crisps and snacks, has been fined £330,000 and ordered to pay £11,752.23 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations SI 1998/2306.
An agency worker was clearing a blockage on a machine at Tayto Group when the person's hand came into contact with shears, resulting in three fingers being severed below the first knuckle.
A subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the guard on the machine was not secured at the time of the accident and that Tayto Group had not put into place a formal monitoring system on the machine to ensure the guards were in place and secure before the machine was started.
HSE inspector Michelle Morrison said: "This man suffered a life-changing injury in what was an entirely preventable incident. Employers must have adequate and robust systems to ensure that guards used to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery are in place and secure before machinery is put into use."
