Nathan Hook suffered fatal head injuries after being drawn into rotating machinery while working at the premises of Maynard and Harris Plastics on 7 October 2021.
The 34-year-old was operating a lathe in the tool room to create a workpiece for a machine at the time of the incident.
While polishing the workpiece with an emery cloth, the cloth and his sweatshirt sleeve became entangled and pinned him against the rotating machine resulting in him suffering fatal head injuries.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that Maynard and Harris Plastics had failed to provide suitable health and safety training regarding the use of emery cloth on lathes, and that it did not have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for use of alternative methods.
On 5 December 2024, Maynard and Harris Plastics of Ellough, Beccles, was fined £330,000 and ordered to pay £4,373 in costs during a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act.
Hook ‘completely exonerated’
Speaking after the hearing, Hook’s mother Jacqueline Castledine said that the investigation and prosecution by the HSE had “completely exonerated” her son.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank those have supported us throughout this horrendous ordeal, far too many to mention,” she added.
“But mostly the HSE for their thorough investigation and its conclusions. We must now try to move forward keeping Nathan with us always.”
Meanwhile, HSE inspector Natalie Prince said that the organisation’s thoughts were with Hook’s family.
“He was a young dad who should have returned home safely to them at the end of his working day, but because of this company’s failings, he did not,” she added.
An inquest held in November 2022 also concluded that a lack of training had contributed to Hook’s death.
At the time, a health and safety inspector concluded that training provision at Maynard and Harris “fell well below” what was expected.
