Egg farm fined £53k after worker trapped in conveyor machinery

An egg production company has been fined £53,000 after a worker suffered serious nerve damage when he became trapped in moving conveyor machinery during a cleaning operation at a farm near Banff.

The 36-year-old employee was injured while working at Mains of Auchenbadie Farm on 15 October 2024.

During his shift, the worker heard an unusual noise coming from an egg collection conveyor and climbed into the narrow space between two running manure conveyor belts to investigate.

The machinery had not been switched off.

His clothing became caught between a pressure roller and the moving conveyor belt, pulling him into the equipment and trapping him.

A colleague activated an emergency stop button before emergency services were called to free him from the machinery.

The worker was taken to hospital suffering nerve damage in both arms.

The injuries left him without full use of his right arm for three months. He later returned to work in February 2025 and remains employed by the company.

The incident prompted an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Inspectors found Duncan Farms Limited had carried out risk assessments covering entanglement hazards and instructed employees to wear close-fitting clothing.

However, the HSE found no fixed or interlocking guards had been installed at the drive end of the manure conveyors to stop workers accessing dangerous moving parts while the equipment was operating.

There were also no safety measures in place that would automatically stop the belts before someone could reach the hazardous areas.

The HSE said employers are legally required to prevent workers accessing dangerous machinery and warned that guarding should never be replaced solely by staff training or clothing guidance.

Duncan Farms Limited, of Muirden Farm, Turriff, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations and was fined at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 7 May 2026.

Jurate Gruzaite, HM inspector of Health and Safety, said the incident could easily have ended far worse.

“This incident could have had devastating consequences,” she said.

“Workers must never be placed in a position where they can access dangerous moving parts of machinery while it is in operation.”

Ms Gruzaite added that proper guarding was “a fundamental requirement of the law” and said the injuries would have been prevented if suitable safety protection had been installed.

The HSE is now urging all businesses using conveyor systems to urgently review machinery guarding arrangements to prevent similar incidents.