Nestle Purina Petcare, a pet care company, has been fined after a malfunction in a steam pressure system resulted in five employees suffering severe burns.
IOSH reported that Gary Coe, David Garner, Mark Mawby, David Naylor and Christopher Newell were all working on a hydrostat, a high-pressure food-processing machine, at the firm’s plant in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2006, when they were hit by an uncontrolled release of steam and boiling water.
The five men suffered severe burns to their arms, faces and hands as a result of the incident, Cambridge Crown Court was told.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that while the hydrostat control systems had been replaced prior to the maintenance work, no proper assessment of the risks associated with these modifications was undertaken.
Nestle Purina Petcare (UK), based in Croydon, Surrey, admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 13 of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000.
The firm was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £22,634.15 in costs.
Source: IOSH
