Scottish egg packing business fined £3,000 for endangering staff
14:16 - 28/01/2011
Scottish egg packing business fined ...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted an egg packing business based in Banff, Scotland, after it was found that they had been risking the safety of their employees on a regular basis.
An HSE inspection conducted in November 2008 revealed that workers at James Gammie had been using unsafe machinery on a weekly basis.
Screw conveyors were used to clear away chicken manure from three sheds at the company’s premises in Leightonhill Farm, Brechin. They did not have sufficient guards fitted to prevent access to the moving parts of the machinery, meaning that workers could become entangled and seriously injured as a result.
James Gammie, based at Gawnmoss Farm, Banff, recently appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. They received a £3,000 fine.
Commenting on the case, HSE Principal Inspector Peter Dodd said: “Unguarded machinery continues to be a major cause of serious incidents. This case shows that where HSE inspectors find blatant disregard for the law they will not hesitate to take action against those responsible for creating the risk.
“In many cases, including this one, simple and inexpensive solutions are readily available to protect those who have to work with machinery and there is no excuse for them not to be in place.”
First Response Training provides courses designed to assist employers in meeting their statutory duty to provide health and safety training for their workforce. Perry Leeks, Managing Director at First Response says: “Our Essentials of Health and Safety course covers legal requirements and penalties so that both the employer and employees are aware of their own responsibilities under law and the costs of ignoring these obligations.
“However, occupational health and safety is about more than just avoiding legal action; it is about accident prevention and following safe systems of work. Our training courses can ensure that you have the knowledge and skills to do this. We also offer a more advanced and in-depth IOSH-accredited Managing Safely course, which leads to a formal qualification and is for managers and supervisors who need to manage safety issues in the workplace.”
For more information on any of their health and safety training courses, please call free phone 0800 310 2300 today.
An HSE inspection conducted in November 2008 revealed that workers at James Gammie had been using unsafe machinery on a weekly basis.
Screw conveyors were used to clear away chicken manure from three sheds at the company’s premises in Leightonhill Farm, Brechin. They did not have sufficient guards fitted to prevent access to the moving parts of the machinery, meaning that workers could become entangled and seriously injured as a result.
James Gammie, based at Gawnmoss Farm, Banff, recently appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. They received a £3,000 fine.
Commenting on the case, HSE Principal Inspector Peter Dodd said: “Unguarded machinery continues to be a major cause of serious incidents. This case shows that where HSE inspectors find blatant disregard for the law they will not hesitate to take action against those responsible for creating the risk.
“In many cases, including this one, simple and inexpensive solutions are readily available to protect those who have to work with machinery and there is no excuse for them not to be in place.”
First Response Training provides courses designed to assist employers in meeting their statutory duty to provide health and safety training for their workforce. Perry Leeks, Managing Director at First Response says: “Our Essentials of Health and Safety course covers legal requirements and penalties so that both the employer and employees are aware of their own responsibilities under law and the costs of ignoring these obligations.
“However, occupational health and safety is about more than just avoiding legal action; it is about accident prevention and following safe systems of work. Our training courses can ensure that you have the knowledge and skills to do this. We also offer a more advanced and in-depth IOSH-accredited Managing Safely course, which leads to a formal qualification and is for managers and supervisors who need to manage safety issues in the workplace.”
For more information on any of their health and safety training courses, please call free phone 0800 310 2300 today.
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