£200,000 Fine For Company After Man Dies In A Blender

23/10/2015

Rettenmaier UK Manufacturing Limited has been fined £200,000 plus £100,000 costs after being found guilty of breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and Regulation 3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

As a result of the breaches, a 51 year old father suffered a horrific death after being pulled into a blender when it was started without warning.

“Entirely Avoidable Death”

The HSE said in a statement that the employee’s death was “entirely avoidable” and that the “The failings by Rettenmaier UK Manufacturing Ltd caused a fatality in particularly distressing circumstances.”

Health and Safety Failings highlighted by the HSE included:

• The guard had been removed from the pellet machine and it had not been isolated and locked off from the electricity supply         

• There was no computer control screen on the same floor as the blender with the control screen in use at the time of the accident on the floor below. There was no line of sight from this control screen to the blender. It was also pointed out in court that when the line was running, the factory was noisy.          

• Staff lacked proper training          

• There were no written instructions or manuals for operating plant equipment         

• No written system of work or instructions for isolation and no instruction to lock off isolators

The HSE stated that these factors resulted in all staff at the plant being put at risk.

Fisher Scoggins Waters are a London based law firm who are experts in construction, manufacturing and engineering matters. If you have recently had a health and safety incident occur in your workplace, please phone us on 0207 993 6960.