Prosecutions

The company, which grows and harvests hops for the brewing industry, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to make sure the machine was properly maintained.

Lowestoft Magistrates' Court heard a 51 year-old farm worker from was working at the farm, near Saxmundham, when the incident happened on 24 September 2010.

The farm worker and one of his colleagues were making a bale of hops when the plunger which compresses them shot upwards, trapping his right hand between the plunger and the side of the machine.

He managed to snatch it away but in doing so suffered a serious injury to his right forearm, and tore the muscle away from the base of his right thumb.

The employee spent two weeks in hospital and has had three operations to try and repair the damage. He required a skin graft and is unlikely to ever regain full use of his right hand.

The HSE investigation found that the machine had not been adequately maintained and in particular the controls which operated it were not working properly.

The Leicestershire based company admitted breaching Regulation 5 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees. The company was fined £3,500 and ordered to pay £4,019.55 costs as well as a £15 victim surcharge.

The investigating inspector from the HSE, said:

"This was a serious and entirely preventable incident that left a worker with an injury which is likely to affect him for the rest of his life.

"Hop presses have the potential to be very dangerous if they're not maintained properly, and the company should have made sure this employee was not put at risk.

"The case clearly demonstrates the importance of employers maintaining their equipment to ensure it is safe for their employees to use."