A worker operating a chicken carcass de-skinning machine skinned his own hand this month, in a horrific work accident.
The man was working for Norwich firm, Crown Chickens Ltd, who process around 365,000 chickens every week. The worker’s glove became trapped in the machine, dragging him into contact with the cutting blade. It degloved him and completely stripped the skin on the back of his hand.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive discovered that the machine was not adequately guarded and did not have an emergency stop button.
Crown Chickens Ltd admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £4,000 for the incident and also had to pay legal costs.
An HSE spokesperson said the incident resulted in a very serious and painful injury. Moreover, it could easily have been avoided if the company had taken the correct health and safety precautions.
