A brewery in Hertfordshire has appeared in court after an employee broke his foot when it got stuck in a rotating stirrer.
The 34-year-old worker, who has asked to remain nameless, was working for Wye Valley Brewery in Hertfordshire when the incident occurred in February 2013. Hereford Magistrates Court heard how the Hereford man had entered a ‘mash tun’ (a big, steel vessel that is used to cook barley) and set about cleaning it. However, the worker was unaware that the stirrer was still running and he caught his right foot.
The man was rescued by his colleagues and needed to take two days off work as a result of the incident. He has since returned to work at the company.
An investigation was launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident. It found that the incident was entirely avoidable and could have been prevented if the company had assessed the risks involved in cleaning the mash tun, taking appropriate action to control and manage them. In addition, the investigation found that there was no safe system of work in place nor an emergency rescue procedure.
Wye Valley Brewery Limited pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 as well as a breach to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. It was fined £20,000 along with costs of £9,632.
HSE inspector Tariq Khan said after the hearing: “Wye Valley Brewery had advice and information about devising safe systems of work for entry into confined spaces, but ignored it and failed to consider the risks to its employees.
“As a result, a man suffered a painful injury. He was very fortunate that colleagues heard his cries for help and managed to rescue him in time.”