Pallet firm fined £160,000 after worker's arm trapped in machine

A Larbert manufacturing firm has been fined £160,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries when his arm was trapped in a pallet processing machine for 45 minutes.

Tyresse Munjaranji's arm was eventually freed by workmates at James Jones & Sons (Pallets and Packaging) Ltd following the incident in Livingston in November 2023.

Moments before the accident, the 22-year-old went through a broken safety fence to clear shrink wrap from a pallet rather than using the lockable gate which would have cut off the machine's power.

The company, whose registered office is in Larbert, was sentenced at Livingston Sheriff Court after previously admitting a breach of health and safety laws.

The incident happened at a facility operated by the firm at the Tesco Distribution Centre in Deans Industrial Estate, Livingston.

The court heard that Munjaranji became entangled in the moving parts of the pallet inspection line to his severe injury, impairment and permanent disfigurement.

He had to have metal plates inserted in his arm to repair broken bones.

In addition, a section of bone had to be removed during surgery, resulting in his left arm now being shorter than his right.

The injuries had also resulted in significant scarring and impairment to the movement of his arm.

The company admitted failing to enforce a safe system of work for the operation of the pallet inspection line by ensuring that a safety fence around the perimeter was maintained in a condition whereby an employee was unable to gain close access to moving and rotating parts.

It also admitted failing to ensure that access to the area was via the interlocked gate at all times.

Passing sentence, Sheriff Valerie Mays said the accident had happened as a result of a temporary repair to an insecure section of safety fence which had been carried out in a way which proved to be "effectively deceiving the observer".

This had allowed Munjaranji to access the machine without triggering a cut-off switch which would have stopped its parts from moving, resulting in the accident.

She highlighted that the company, which had 620 employees at the time and made a profit of £9.8m, had no previous convictions and a good safety record.

It had also expressed remorse and had taken immediate remedial measures including a company-wide safety initiative.

However, the sheriff added that she considered that, as a result of the failings, any employee working on the pallet line had been exposed to the risk of harm during the relevant period from 1 to 23 November, 2023.

Sheriff Mays fined the company £160,000, discounted from £240,000 due to its early guilty plea, and imposed a victim surcharge of £12,000.