A meat production company has been fined £440,000 after a security guard at an abattoir was seriously injured by a vehicle passing through the site gate.

The 63-year-old security guard, who was working for an independent security company, was on duty at the gated entrance of the Dunbia (UK) abattoir at Hatherleigh, near Okehampton, Devon early on the morning of 29 November 2018.

Her duties included operating the gates to allow delivery vehicles to enter and exit the site. She sustained serious leg and head injuries requiring surgery when she was hit by a vehicle towing a trailer leaving the site. She was holding the gate open at the time.

The HSE’s investigation found that the system of work was unsafe and that the company’s risk assessments did not extend to the security guards. Risks had not been adequately assessed or controlled.

Although there was a high volume of vehicle movements on site there was no segregation between the vehicle routes and pedestrians on site.

Dunbia (UK), of Castle Street, Exeter, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £440,000 and ordered to pay costs of £27,016 and a victim surcharge of £170.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Victoria Buchanan said: “Employers have a legal duty to ensure that the health and safety of their employees, contractors and members of the public are not put at risk.

“This incident could have been avoided had the company assessed the risks from vehicle movements and implemented safety measures including segregating vehicles and pedestrians.”

HSE
October 2022

We recently helped one of our member companies deal with the risk of over-protecting employees using personal protective equipment (PPE). We calculated that protection levels would be below 70 dB. The HSE state hearing protection that reduces the level at the ear to below 70 dB should be avoided, since this over-protection may cause difficulties with communication and hearing warning signals. Users may become isolated from their environment, leading to safety risks, and generally may have a tendency to remove the hearing protection and therefore risk damage to their hearing.

Firstly, PPE such as ear plugs or ear defenders are always considered as a last resort as it relies on people wearing them. Control measures such as Elimination, Risk Reduction and Prevention must be considered first. HSG 232 Sound Solutions for the Food and Drink Industries gives comprehensive guidance and case studies in this respect. A free download is available as below:

 https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg232.htm

Secondly, once the measures described in HSG 232 have been considered and if PPE is still a requirement then the HSE Hearing Protection Calculator can be used to determine the correct SNR rating of hearing protection. A free download of the HSE Hearing Protection Calculator and other resources are available as below:

 https://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/calculator.htm