Plastics firm fined £330,000 over employee death

A company has been fined £330,000 after an employee died while doing his job.

Nathan Hook, 34, was working for Maynard and Harris Plastics, at Ellough, near Beccles in Suffolk, when he was drawn into rotating machinery.

The father of one suffered fatal head injuries as a result of the incident in October 2021.

The prosecution was carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the firm pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act on 5 December at Chelmsford Magistrate's Court.

Speaking to the HSE after the company was sentenced, Mr Hook's mother, Jacqueline Castledine, said: "I have very mixed emotions but pleased Nathan's been completely exonerated."

The HSE investigation found Mr Hook had been on a late shift and was operating a lathe to create a workpiece for a machine.

He applied an emery cloth by hand to the workpiece to smooth its rough edges, but it became entangled and wrapped around the workpiece, drawing him in.

His sweatshirt sleeve also became entangled pinning him against the rotating workpiece and causing fatal head injuries.

The investigation found Maynard and Harris Plastics had failed to provide suitable health and safety training regarding the use of emery cloth on lathes.

The company did not have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for use of alternative methods, such as application of emery cloth using a stick, it said.

In November 2022, an inquest had concluded a lack of training "likely contributed to Mr Hook's death".

In a statement the firm said: "The death of Nathan Hook was felt deeply by the company and all employees. Our thoughts remain with his family. This was a tragic event.

"We respect the sentencing remarks of the judge and note that he has acknowledged the company's early guilty plea, acceptance of responsibility, and the mitigating factors."

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety.

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