Ewalina Giedziun, aged 29, suffered the injury while working on a suet packing line at Q Cold's Ledbury site on October 17 2011.
Giedziun lost the tip of her index finger on her left hand when she reached into a sealing machine. After the injury − caused by the heated clamping jaws that crimp and seal the filled plastic bags – she was off work for several months.
Dangerous moving parts
Hereford Magistrates' Court heard that an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had revealed Q Cold had assessed the risks associated with the packing line. It had also installed both fixed guards and interlocked doors to prevent access to dangerous moving parts.
But one of the fixed guards was not properly secured and was effectively useless.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Chris Gregory said: "The company was aware of the potential dangers and had taken precautions, but failed to ensure checks or controls were in place to monitor whether those precautions were maintained.
The offending guard
"The offending guard was not secure and had either been moved or moved itself, creating a gap into which people could reach. It was secondary to the interlocking doors, but was still important as it created distance between the workers and moving parts of machinery.”
The company's failure resulted in the worker suffering “a painful injury and emotional trauma” that left her unable to work for months, he added.
Q Cold pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The company was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £2,348 in costs.