pet food company fined over worker\'s death
A pet food company was fined £ 100,000 today for violating health and safety regulations, resulting in a worker being crushed to death by a machine.
John O\'Connor, 38, works at Butcher\'s Pet Care Co. , Ltd. in Creek, Northampton County and is crushed when he enters the machine to remove the blockage. The father-of-
Two rugby players from Warwickshire died after entering a cage area in a \"tray\" machine at the pet food factory in November 2003 to reposition the blocked tray.
Northampton Crown Court heard today that there is a key system on the guardrail, so the worker cannot enter without turning off the machine first.
But prosecutor Deanna Heer said that it is common practice for employees to climb through the gaps on the railing and remove the blockage without first stopping the machine.
The court heard that once Mr O\'Connor had cleared the blockage, he had a little more than a second to come out of the machine.
A colleague found him trapped between a crane and a steel frame.