A farming partnership in Cheshire has been fined £20,000 after a young worker suffered severe leg injuries in a potato harvester accident.
The incident took place in October 2023 at LP Ollier & Son’s potato farm in Knutsford, with the affected worker unable to return to agricultural work since.
The 20-year-old was investigating a blockage in the harvester when the machine’s roller mechanism pulled in his right leg, causing extensive injuries including fractures, nerve damage and severe skin trauma.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the machine’s guard gates were open and had not been isolated.
The watchdog said the partnership had failed to implement a safe system of work, specifically regarding access to dangerous rotating parts of the harvester.
HSE guidance underscores operators to follow the ‘safe stop’ procedure when addressing blockages in such machinery.
This includes turning off and isolating the machine before any intervention takes place.
Employers are also required to provide proper training, and ensure that the procedures are being consistently followed and monitored.
LP Ollier & Son was fined £20,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000, and £5,110.80 in court costs by Warrington Magistrates’ Court.
HSE inspector Joseph Wright said the watchdog will take action when there is a failure to keep employees and contractors safe while they are working.
He said: All too often, serious and sometimes fatal incidents occur as a result of inadequate systems of work in relation to potato harvesters.
"This case was a wholly avoidable incident caused by the failure to follow the safe stop procedure for the potato harvester, and ensure that the machine was fully isolated before a blockage was addressed.
"Had the partnership ensured a suitable safe system of work was followed when blockages occurred, these life-changing injuries would not have occurred."
Farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation, with 27 people losing their lives on farms in Britain in 2023-2024.
