Supermarket fined £30,000 after worker cut off finger while chopping meat

By: Nick Jackson, Local Democracy Reporter

A supermarket in Old Trafford has been fined £30,000 for breaches of health and safety and food hygiene regulations following an incident in which a worker cut his finger on a bandsaw while chopping meat.

Worldwide Foods (Old Trafford) Ltd pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court to two offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene, (England) Regulations 2013, as well as a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, the council said. The fine must be paid within the next calendar year.

The company failed to carry out any suitable and sufficient risk assessments relating to their premises on Tennis Street, the town hall said.

Magistrates, the council added, heard Worldwide Foods had high culpability for both offences, and said bosses had failed to make changes when told to do so, and repeatedly ignored concerns of the regulators on multiple visits by environmental health officers at the town hall.

The authority’s environmental health team intervened following an accident which saw an employee cut his finger on a bandsaw while chopping meat in the large butchers’ area of the supermarket, the town hall said.

They found that suitable and sufficient risk assessments were not in place to cover risks employees were exposed to in the workplace, including the bandsaw and also relating to falls from height in the premises, the council said.

There was also a lack of suitable and sufficient risk assessments across the range of activities operated by the company at that premises, the council said.

Officers found temperature controls were not being met, with a delivery of sandwiches left at room temperature for several hours and delivered above the required storage temperature, the town hall said.

High-risk foods were left on sale on the shelf well above the legal limit for those foods, in contravention of the food safety and hygiene regulations, the council said.

Cllr Rose Thompson, executive member for communities and safety at Trafford council, said: “The work we do is really important to keep people safe at work, both in terms of employees and customers to a business.

“We know most business owners do their very best to abide by the law, but there are some exceptions, and I’m pleased that we were able to prevent any further harm by reaching a conclusion in this case.

“The council will work closely with Worldwide Foods to ensure that the business is fully compliant and no one is put at risk going forward.”

Worldwide Foods have been contacted for comment.

(Local Democracy Reporting Service)