A bakery with shops throughout Teesside and North Yorkshire has been fined after an employee was injured in an accident at work.

The worker had several fingers broken and lost some of the skin on his hand when it was dragged into a pastry lid maker at Thomas of York Limited in Helmsley.

Modifications had been made to the machine, including taking off components of its guard system. When these modifications were removed, the guard was not replaced, leaving it ineffective.

Thomas of York pleaded guilty to charges brought under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations over the incident, which happened in February 2015.

Northallerton Magistrates’ Court fined the firm £6,500 and ordered to pay £691.45 in costs.

Anthony McCarthy, of Macks Solicitors in Middlesbrough, said he has seen a number of incidents in which serious injuries were caused by guards not being fitted properly on workplace machinery.

“In one case I worked on, a butcher was so severely hurt that he was unable to continue in his profession,” he said. “Fortunately, we were able to recover compensation that enabled the client to rebuild his life.

“Cases such as this one and the incident in Helmsley underline just how important it is to fit the correct guards on all machinery of this kind and to have them checked regularly to make sure they are working effectively.”

If you have been injured in an accident at work, contact Macks Solicitors’ personal injury department by filling out our claim form for a no obligation discussion with one of our specialist lawyers.