Heinz fined after work accident at baked bean factory

Heinz has been fined after an incident in which an employee suffered a work injury at one of the company's baked bean factories in Wigan.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard HJ Heinz Company Ltd admit that it had committed two health and safety breaches.

The company, of Hayes, Middlessex, was fined £20,000 and instructed to pay prosecution costs of £4,496.50.

This came about after the work accident on April 11th 2008, when a worker seriously injured their left hand in a metal working machine.

Issuing accident advice, Health and Safety Executive inspector Deborah Walker said: "He [the worker] had been employed by Heinz for more than twenty years, but was not given any refresher training on safe working practices in that time. The company also failed to assess the risks of the work he was carrying out, and make sure suitable safety measures were in place."

This month, Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates Limited was prosecuted after one of its workers, Ray Wright, injured his right forearm in an accident at their Hessle Dock site.

Published by Hannah Carr