A Yorkshire-based animal feed manufacturer has been ordered to pay £500,000 following a serious workplace incident that left a supervisor with life-altering injuries. The case centred on William Thompson (York) Limited and an accident at the company’s Jubilee Mill site in York in November 2023, when a 41-year-old worker’s foot became caught in a rotating auger during maintenance activity. He remained in the hospital for six weeks.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the company had allowed access to moving machine parts during operation and had not carried out an adequate risk assessment for the task being performed. The auger, which pushes excess feed away from a press, continued running at high speed when the worker opened the machine.
HSE Inspector Shauna Halstead said: “This company’s failures resulted in a man sustaining life-changing injuries. Too many workers are injured or killed every year because of failures to guard dangerous parts of machinery. Companies must implement safe working practices when carrying out maintenance operations. We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all they should to keep people safe when working with machinery.”
William Thompson (York) Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974. York Magistrates’ Court imposed a £500,000 fine and £4,455 in costs. The case underscores the legal requirements set out under PUWER, which mandate effective guarding and safe systems of work when employees interact with machinery.
