The firm pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 (3) (c) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 for not making sure the machinery's protection devices were working. The prosecution was brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Boston Magistrates' Court heard that on 7 January 2009 an employee was working on a bagging machine when the film that formed the bags was not running through the machine correctly and needed adjusting.

The worker opened the door on the front of the machine, at which point a safety cut-out switch should have stopped the machine. Unfortunately, the safety device was not working but the worker did not realise that as, coincidentally, the machine had come to a pre-programmed halt in its cycle.

The employee put his fingers on to a belt to test its tension when the machine re-started, pulling his fingers into the mechanism. He suffered a deep laceration to his middle finger and was off work for some time.

An inspector for the HSE said:

"Protection device are there for a very good reason - to stop accidents such as this occurring.

The employee was very lucky not to have suffered more serious injuries. I hope this case serves a reminder to other companies of the need to ensure that such devices are in good working order and are efficiently maintained."