Business guilty of safety breaches

A Holbeach Hurn businesses that specialises in potatoes has pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its workforce after three people were injured in an incident.

QV Foods Ltd, which is part of the AH Worth group of businesses that are based at Manor Farm in the village, admitted breaching the act at Boston Magistrates’ Court on January 16.

The charge relates to an incident in June 2018 where the company say three people were injured on a new potato peeling line.

It states QV Foods failed ‘to ensure the operation and the maintenance of the dipping auger and microsoak dosing equipment’.

The case was adjourned until April 9 at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court for sentencing.

The company told The Voice it ‘sincerely regrets’ the ‘isolated incident’.

A spokesman for AH Worth said: “We can confirm that on June 13, 2018 there was an incident with a newly-commissioned potato peeling line that unfortunately resulted in injury to three employees.

“As you’d expect, we took immediate action to remedy the problem and reported it to the Health and Safety Executive who, following investigation, have now decided to prosecute us.

“We take employee safety very seriously and, to give this important area the required focus, we have a health and safety committee, which reports to our board, as well as external advisers to support our Health and Safety team in delivering good practice across our business.

“Despite considerable mitigating and contributory circumstances, we have pleaded guilty and now await the outcome of sentencing.

“We sincerely regret that this isolated incident occurred and would like to stress that there was (and is) absolutely no risk to product quality or safety as a result of this incident.”