High street bakers fined over "de-gloving" incident

AN EMPLOYEE at a bakery was partially de-gloved in an incident which led to the company paying thousands in fines.

High street bakers Thomas of York Ltd, (trading as Thomas the Baker)which is based in Helmsley and turned over £11.0m for the year to 31 December 2014, was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.

They found that modifications to a pastry lid maker led to a worker breaking several fingers in an incident in February 2015 when his hand was pulled into the machinery.

The lid maker had been modified, then the modifications had been removed but guards were not replaced.

Thomas of York pleaded guilty at Northallerton Magistrates Court and was fined £6,500 with £691.45 costs.

HSE inspector Julian Franklin commented: “Modifying machines should always involve a reassessment of the safety of that machine. Guard checking routines should be periodically audited to ensure they remain effective.”