Food producer fined over health and safety failings
December 23rd 09:22 Health and Safety
The importance of reporting workplace injuries promptly has been highlighted by the prosecution of one food producer in the north-east.
KTC (Edibles) has been fined £12,500 for breaching health and safety guidelines following a number of incidents at its site in Moorcroft Drive, Wednesbury.
An employee at the business, Noshad Ali, was injured when a mezzanine floor collapsed, however the incident was only reported eight months after it occurred in February 2008.
The firm also ignored advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about making the area where the incident occurred safer and other breaches were found during an inspection, including the unsafe use of a forklift truck.
Good health and safety practices are a key part of effective facilities management and Gardabil Singh Tiwana, an HSE inspector, noted that KTC (Edibles) showed scant regard for health and safety practice, putting their employees at risk of serious injury, if not death".
Another food firm, Noon Products or Surrey, was recently fined £20,000 following an incident that saw a worker lose a fingertip while cleaning a machine.
