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A 32 year old worker from Polan had his arm broken in two places plus extensive soft tissue damage whilst working at a mushroom farm in Somerset.
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A 32 year old worker from Polan had his arm broken in two places plus extensive soft tissue damage whilst working at a mushroom farm in Somerset.
The worker was using the machine for the first time while working for Drimbawn (UK) Ltd, part of the Monaghan Mushrooms Group, when the incident occurred on 18 November 2010. The worker was using a machine which washes the nets used to cover mushroom fields at the farm. The nets were fed into the machine which then washed them - but the clamping mechanism which held them in place as they went in was ineffective.
It was discovered that the safety devices on the machinery had been deliberately removed to allow workers to hold the nets in place by hand, whilst the machine was running.
The practice had apparently become customary at the farm.
The 32 year old worker was guiding the net into the machine when his hand got entangled in the moving parts and his arm was dragged into the rotating mechanisms breaking it in two places. It was also found that along with the dangerous practices in place, the worker had received no training on using the machine.
Speaking after sentencing, HSE inspector, Christine Haberfield, said: "Mr Moskalik suffered a severe injury and, nine months on, he is still not in a position to return to work. Machines of all sizes can cause serious injury if not used correctly. By disabling the safety mechanisms on this machine and allowing workers to feed it by hand, Drimbawn not only failed Mr Moskalik but all the other workers who used the machine and who could also have easily been injured. It is vital that safety devices on machines are used and checked to make sure they work properly all the time, and that anyone operating them is trained beforehand so that they know how to use them safely."
Drimbawn (UK) Ltd of Stock Lane, Langford, North Somerset, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 9 (1) and 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £32,000 with £3,624.59 in costs
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