A Lichfield salad company has been prosecuted after a worker broke his arm cleaning a conveyor belt.
Tamworth Magistrates Court heard that Zubair Hussain was cleaning the machine at Florette when his right arm was pulled between a roller and the belt.
The 29-year-old’s forearm was broken in four places and his thumb and index finger were also fractured in the incident on March 19, 2010. He spent 19 days in hospital and has since had two operations and will require further surgery in the future.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the conveyor – which had been installed six months previously as part of a £1million upgrade – was inadequately guarded. The court also heard that the cost of fitting the guard was £600.
HSE inspector Christia Killen said:
“This was a preventable incident that has caused permanent, debilitating injuries to Mr Hussain. If Soleco UK had operated a more rigorous purchasing policy system for checking and commissioning new equipment, its supplier could have fitted the guards before the machine was put into use.
“Once Soleco UK had discovered that the conveyor was not properly guarded, nobody should have used the machine until the fault had been corrected.
“HSE provides free guidance on machine safety, which clearly states that employers, not their suppliers, are responsible for making sure that new equipment is safe to use.”
HSE brought the prosecution against Soleco UK Ltd, trading as Florette, of Wood End Lane, Fradley Park. The firm pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £2,587 costs.