A sweet firm has been fined £300,000, plus costs, after an employee was crushed to death in one of its machines. Tangerine Confectionery Ltd was convicted at Bournemouth Crown Court of breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The court heard how in February 2008, Martin Pejril, a starch room operator at the Alder Road plant in Poole, had climbed in a machine to clear a blockage. However, the machine restarted and he became trapped. His injuries were so severe that he died at the scene.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Simon Jones said, “This tragic case highlights the need to ensure that machines are safely isolated before any maintenance takes place so they cannot unexpectedly start up. Simply pressing a stop button does not adequately isolate a machine. If the machine in this case had been properly isolated from the electrical power source before Mr Pejril attempted to clear the blockage, this accident would never have happened. A proper risk assessment would have highlighted the dangers of entrapment. All employees need to be adequately trained in correct company procedures – whether it’s for clearing blockages, operating machines or any high risk activity.”
A spokeswoman for Tangerine Confectionery extended the company’s sympathies to the victim’s family, but it said it was “disappointed” by the conviction and the sentence and that it was considering appealing.
