Bakers fined after workers suffer hand injuries

Penrith based bakery Bells of Lazonby Limited has been fined after two workers suffered hand injuries while operating machinery on site.

Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard that on the 26 January 2016 a worker lost the top of their right hand middle finger, after it caught the moving blade of a dough-dividing machine.

The second incident occurred on the 29 March 2016 when an employee’s left index finger made contact with the cutting jaws of a wrapping machine.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to equip the machinery with the correcting guarding to avoid incidents like this occurring.

Bells of Lazonby Limited of Edenholme Bakery, Penrith have pleaded guilty to breaching two charges of Regulation 11, of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and have been fined £40,000 for the first offence and £30,000 for the second offence and ordered to pay costs of £7990.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Leona Cameron said: “This case demonstrates the importance of checking and assessing all dangerous equipment and machinery to prevent injuries to employees operating such machinery.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk