A male employee of a bagel factory has lost two of his fingers in a serious workplace accident.
The man was employed at London-based Ixxy's Bagels factory when the incident occurred in November 2007. He was put in charge of operating a machine that divided the bagels, when a blockage caused by a build-up of dough caused the machine to stall and stop working.
It was whilst the worker was attempting to clear the blockage that the accident happened. His hand, which he had inserted into the machine to push the dough out of the way, was caught by the rotating cutter blade, severing his middle and ring finger on his right hand.
Following the accident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation and found that the bagel cutting machine was faulty and functioning incorrectly, thus causing the accident to occur.
Rather than stopping automatically once the doors to the machine were opened up, the blades continued to rotate.
During the court case, it was discovered that Ixxy's Bagels Ltd were fully aware of the machine's fault two days before the accident happened, but had not stopped employees using the machine.
Ixxy's Bagels Ltd appeared at the City of London Magistrates' Court, where they pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. The firm was fined £2,250.
It has not yet been confirmed if the worker will seek an accident compensation payout from his employers.