A young baker was left with serious injuries following a workplace accident, and could consider putting in a claim for an accident compensation payout.
The teenage worker was employed at Hampshire-based Belinda’s Bakery and was operating a dough moulder machine when the incident took place in November 2010.
The worker's hand was caught by the machine – which forces dough through a set of rollers in order to mould it into the correct size and shape needed for the bread or cakes – and his fingers were crushed by the rollers.
Following the accident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out a thorough investigation and discovered safety problems with the dough machine.
Prior to the worker being injured, the safety guard which would have prevented access to the rollers had been removed. It had then been put back into place following the accident.
According to Ashley Ainsworth, Belinda’s Bakery's Peter Ellis pleaded guilty to breaching work equipment regulations and was issued with a fine of £500 at Southampton Magistrates’ Court this week.
Following the court hearing, an HSE spokesperson confirmed that machines similar to the dough moulder used at the bakery were a common hazard within the industry, and added that the young worker was 'lucky' not to have suffered more severe injuries.