An egg and poultry company has been fined £53,000 after one of its workers suffered serious nerve damage when his clothes got trapped in a machine.
The incident happened during a routine cleaning operation at Mains of Auchenbadie Farm near Banff in Aberdeenshire, which is owned by Duncan Farms Limited, on October 15 2024.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the employee had climbed into a space between two manure conveyor belts after hearing an “unusual noise” from an egg collection conveyor.
He did not stop the machinery first as he had been trained to do, and his clothing got caught in the “running-in nip” between a roller and the underside of one of the conveyor belts.
One of the man’s colleagues used the emergency stop button to halt the machinery, and emergency services were called to free him.
Workers must never be placed in a position where they can access dangerous moving parts of machinery while it is in operation. Guarding is not optional, it is a fundamental requirement of the law
The man was taken to hospital where he was found to have suffered nerve damage in both arms, and it took three months for his right arm to be restored to full function.
He returned to work in February 2025 and remains employed by the company.
An HSE investigation found Duncan Farms had not installed suitable guarding at the “drive end” of the manure conveyors, to prevent access to the dangerous “nip points” when the conveyor was operating.
The body also found there were no measures in place to prevent people from accessing the in-running nips, or which would have automatically stopped the belt before they could be reached.
Duncan Farms Limited pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations following the incident, and was fined £53,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on May 7.
Jurate Gruzaite, HM inspector of HSE, said: “This incident could have had devastating consequences.
“Workers must never be placed in a position where they can access dangerous moving parts of machinery while it is in operation. Guarding is not optional, it is a fundamental requirement of the law.
“Had appropriate fixed guards been in place at the drive end of these conveyors, this injury would not have happened.
“I would urge all employers who use conveyor systems to review their guarding arrangements without delay.”