Insider Media Limited

Frozen food company PinguinLutosa Foods UK has been fined £4,700 after an employee was injured at its Bourne factory. Thomas Munford, of Bourne, Lincolnshire, suffered leg injuries when he was caught by the moving blades of an industrial freezer. King's Lynn-based PinguinLutosa Foods UK must also pay court costs of £2,639.50.

Spalding Magistrates’ Court heard how Munford was clearing ice from the inside of the freezer when a colleague switched it on, not realising he was inside. Munford, who was working a night shift on 21 November 2008, was hit by blades which are used to stir pre-washed vegetables before they are frozen. He suffered severe bruising to his legs.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the inside of the freezer was dimly lit and once someone was inside it was very difficult to see them because of a mesh grille. It was also noisy in the freezer meaning communication was a problem and both men had worked on an overnight shift for more than 11 hours when the incident occurred.

HSE inspector Stuart Parry said: "There were a number of factors that contributed to this incident, including the conditions the two men were working in. However, none of this would have mattered if a safe system of isolation, preventing access to dangerous parts of machinery, had been provided.

"If a lockable switch had been fitted to the control panel and operators instructed to padlock it in the off position whenever they were working near the stirrer, nobody would have been able to switch the unit back on until it was safe to do so."