Cafe Owner Fined £3,000 for Breaching Safety Rules

A restaurant owner has been fined after a worker’s fingers were severed. The accident happened when an employee at the Labworth Cafe, on Canvey, had the tips of two fingers cut off by a food processor.

The 22-year-old man was injured on 12 February, last year, prompting Castle Point Council to take up a prosecution. The Labworth’s owner, Christopher Topping, of Thorpe Leas, Canvey, was brought before Southend Magistrates’ Court.

He pleaded guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 by over-riding the safety features on a food processor. He was charged on the basis he had completed ‘ad hoc’ repairs without the assistance or consent of a professional.

The court fined him £3,000 and ordered him to pay £100 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Peter Hobbs, chairman of the bench, said: “We did feel there was a reckless breach.” However, he said there appeared to have been “very minimal financial motive” behind it.

He added: “There was a continuing breach though because of the fact it had been going on for some time. You had made a minor repair to it which should have given you the warning bells it was not right and should have been repaired.”

The court heard this was the first time Mr Topping had been convicted of such an offence.

A spokeswoman for Castle Point Council said: “Castle Point Borough Council treats health and safety very seriously, and will take action where employees fail to meet the standards required to ensure the health and safety at work of their employees.”

We advise that all tools and machines are logged onto your company asset register and are subject to regular periodic test and inspection, with any maintenance and repair that is required is completed by competent staff prior to any defective equipment being re-issued for work.