A male employee could be in line for an accident compensation payout following a work accident in which he was seriously injured.
A man working at Elliot Absorbent Products Ltd, which has its headquarters in Manchester, was injured in a work accident in October 2009.
The firm, which makes food contact absorbents for meat tray packages and other food packages, for supermarkets across Europe, had employed the man to work a laminator machine at the factory.
Despite being relatively new to the job, the man was put in charge of the machine and was accidentally pulled into the giant rollers, where he suffered serious injuries, including crushing and friction burns to his stomach, chest and arms.
The worker's injuries were so severe that he needed numerous skin grafts to treat the friction burns and is left with permanent scarring.
Following the incident, the Health and Safety Executive carried out an investigation and discovered that a sensor on the machine – which stopped it if a person came into close proximity of the rollers – had been deliberately disabled by the firm.
Elliot Absorbent Products Ltd had disabled the sensor as dust had been setting it off unnecessarily. But, said HSE, they should have provided a suitable alternative to keep workers safe.
The firm was fined £27,500 plus costs at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.