Butchery firm to pay £6.4k for ‘preventable’ accident
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) described the incident at Rare Butchers of Distinction’s site on the Chiltonian Industrial Estate in Lewisham on July 21 as “entirely preventable”.
HSE Inspector David Balfour said the “deep and painful cut” sustained by the employee would have been prevented if he had been wearing elbow-length chain mail gloves, which “should have been provided by the company as a matter of course”.
An investigation by the HSE found that the employee ̶ who did not wish to be named ̶ was only wearing a wrist-length chain mail glove on his non-knife hand.
Could have been prevented
Magistrates were told that he should have been wearing protection, such as a chain mail gauntlet as far as his elbow, and that had he done so the incident could have been prevented.
During the hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on May 1, the court heard that the injured worker – one of 50 employed by the firm – had sustained a deep cut to his non-knife forearm when deboning a lamb shoulder.
He was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment and was off work for more than three months to undergo physiotherapy to rebuild strength in his left hand and thumb.
"Working with sharp knives poses clear risks, but not enough was done to mitigate those risks, said Balfour. “It is imperative that all employers properly assess the type of protective clothing or equipment their workers need, and provide it as necessary.”
Rare Butchers of Distinction pleaded guilty to a single breach of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulation 1992 for failing to provide suitable protective equipment.
Failed to report the incident in time
The firm also pleaded guilty to a breach of the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Act 1995 for failing to report the incident in time.
It was fined £2,750 and ordered to pay costs of £3,690.
It failed to report the incident to the HSE within the legally required 10-day limit. It took the firm 29 days to notify the HSE about the incident.
"It is also vital that serious incidents of this nature are reported within the 10-day legal guidelines," added Balfour.
