Prosecutions

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the owner of the bakery over the incident, which happened on Tuesday 30 November 2010.

Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard that a male worker, who does not want to be named, was operating a dough moulder at a bakery in Hampshire. The machine has two powered running rollers which drive dough through the machine, to be moulded to the correct shape and size.

While operating the machine, the worker put his right hand in between the rollers. He suffered crush and skin injuries to his fingers and sustained cuts and bruising to the middle and index fingers.

The HSE investigation found there was no guarding in place to prevent access to the powered rollers on the machine. The court was told that immediately following the incident, the owner reinstalled guarding on the dough moulder, which had been removed some two years earlier.

After the hearing, the HSE's inspector said:

"The risks from these types of machines are well known in the industry and this incident could have resulted in far worse injuries. 

"Immediately following the incident the owner installed a guard which cuts the power to the machine, but had the guarding been in place the employee would not have been able to have accessed the dangerous parts of the machinery and we would not be in court today."

The owner pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1)(a) of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £300.