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Animal feed firm sentenced over finger loss

A Lancashire animal feed firm has been sentenced after an employee lost one of his fingers in machinery.

The 25-year-old worker was trying to clear a blockage at Merit (Feeds and Storage) Ltd. when his hand became trapped at its factory at Oakenclough Mill near Garstang.

The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found the man had been able to open the door on the machine while it was still operating.

The court heard the machine had been fitted with a special lock to prevent it being opened while it was operating, but the lock was no longer in use.

Merit (Feeds and Storage) Ltd. admitted breaching Regulation 11(1)(a) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. The company was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £2,163 in prosecution costs on 30 March 2012.

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