Man's accident injury sees sweet firm sentenced

A sweet manufacturer has appeared in court after an employee suffered an accident injury.

Tangerine Confectionery Ltd, which owns seven factories throughout England, admitted at Blackpool Magistrates Court that it had committed a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 as a result of failing to ensure that a machine ceased working when the guard was not in place.

The firm, of Blackpool, was instructed to pay costs of £4,568 and fined £3,400 after the incident happened at its site in Marton.

On September 8th 2008, one of the company's employees was attempting to take a blockage out of a sweet-making machine when the unit pulled his hand in, leaving him with an accident injury.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Anthony Banks said: "This incident has resulted in a worker suffering a permanent injury but it should simply never have been allowed to happen."

In 2009/2010 alone, the HSE prosecuted 108 offences in the north-west of England, while local authorities prosecuted 29.

Published by Hannah Carr