Crushed worker firm fined for safety failure
Bosses at a factory where a man was crushed beneath bags of rice and beans when a floor collapsed have been fined for flouting health and safety rules.
Bosses at a factory where a man was crushed beneath bags of rice and beans when a floor collapsed have been fined for flouting health and safety rules.
Food company KTC (Edibles) Ltd, of Moorcroft Drive, Wednesbury, which supplies Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, was ordered to pay almost £15,000 by magistrates in West Bromwich yesterday.
The company pleaded guilty to failing to report an accident and breaching health and safety regulations. The court heard that employee Noshad Ali was injured when a mezzanine floor collapsed, trapping him between 1,000kg bags of rice and beans.
It happened in February 2008 but was only reported eight months later during an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into other concerns.
The company had then attempted to block off the floor by lining up pallets rather than putting up metal railings.
The HSE was told of the floor collapse by Sandwell Council and on inspection was told by bosses that no-one had been injured. The firm was later served with a prohibition notice to stop people working nearby as suitable railing were still not in place.
During this visit the inspector identified other breaches of regulations, including a person being carried by a forklift truck in a home-made "cage".
The company, which also has a site in Liverpool, is the UK's largest producer of oil and fat-based products for supermarkets. It has a £183 million annual turnover and employs 110 people.
Mr Daniel McShee, defending, said: "The company is very embarrassed. There is a deep regret. There is a determination to get things sorted." The firm was fined a total of £12,500 and ordered to pay £2,388 costs.
