Samworth Brothers fined £594,000 over worker scald injuries

Samworth Brothers has been fined £594,000 following an incident at its Kettleby Foods factory in Melton Mowbray, where an employee and a contractor sustained serious scald injuries.

The injuries occurred during maintenance work on steam pipework in the factory's boiler room. While attempting to replace a leaking gasket in an isolation valve, the two men were forced to step off a gantry and work directly on top of a boiler because the platform did not provide adequate access to the specific pipework. Upon removing the gasket, they were splashed with hot water. One individual suffered 4-5% subdermal burns, while the other sustained 9% subdermal, second-degree burns.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) concluded that the company failed to conduct a proper risk assessment, failed to document a safe system of work, and lacked appropriate isolation and lock-off procedures. Additionally, the work at height lacked sufficient fall-prevention measures. Samworth Brothers, which owns brands including Ginsters, Higgidy, and West Cornwall Pasty Co., entered a guilty plea to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.