Norwich Union is urging businesses in the food and drink industry to be aware of their responsibilities and the dangers of working with machinery, as part of its latest Simply Safety campaign.
According to the HSE, in the last 10 years, over 30% of fatal injuries at work have been caused by machinery used in the food and drink industries.1
Phil Grace, liability risk manager for Norwich Union, says: "Common injuries in the food manufacturing and food retailing industries involve band-saws, mixers, mincers and slicing and dicing machinery. However, other equipment such as wrapping and packaging machinery can be equally as dangerous."
Machinery in the workplace is governed by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998, which requires that machinery should be suitable for its purpose, properly maintained and safe to clean and use.
According to Grace: "Selecting the right machinery can help businesses reduce incidents. When buying new machinery it is important to choose equipment that is suitable for a particular job and make sure it has been properly installed to reduce the risk of injury.
"It is vital to ensure that the supplier (or installer) has given you information on how the machine works and its safety features. Such instructions can be supplied with the machine as a handbook or manual, or for special purpose or more custom-built machines the correct and safe method of use should be demonstrated by the supplier," says Grace.
"Ensuring machinery is only used by people who have received adequate training and information is also crucial."
Grace warns, "Machinery must be properly maintained to meet PUWER legislation. Poorly maintained machines are prone to blockages and accidents are likely to happen when these are cleared.
"Cleaning is a critical part of food hygiene and the simple precaution of switching all machinery off before cleaning takes place can also reduce accidents. Too often short cuts are made to save time which can be dangerous."
Grace also advises that machinery should be accompanied by safety measures such as warning signs to highlight any potential danger, as well as protective devices such as guards.
"Serious accidents can occur where guards, for example, are either inadequate for their purpose or have been removed.
"Machine guards should be checked regularly, and certain types of machinery such as lifts, hoists and dumb waiters, refrigeration plant, autoclaves and compressors should be inspected to ensure they are in good order and that any safety devices are operating correctly.
"This can be done by an accredited engineering inspection body, that will carry out the necessary inspections, mark the equipment and report on any defects found," he says.
As part of the campaign, a downloadable guide on machinery is available at www.nurs.co.uk/
Norwich Union Risk Services provides support for machinery safety risk assessments and can deliver tailored machinery safety training courses at clients' premises. Visit www.nurs.co.uk/ for more information.
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Download Simply Safety: The Wheels of Industry - Machinery (PDF 208KB)
For more information contact:
Alex Anderson at Staniforth 0161 919 8021/ 07779 162583 or Sally Leeman at Norwich Union 01603 684225/ 07789 270677
Notes to editors:
1 www.hse.gov.uk/food/fatal.htm
Norwich Union is the UK's largest general insurer with a market share of around 15%, with a focus on insurance for individuals and small businesses.
It is a leading provider of life, pensions and investment products and one of the largest financial adviser (FA) providers. FAs provide over 70% of the company's long-term savings business in the UK.
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