Innateq/Karl Schnell /KS Emulsifier F320 Type 094 — damage to hearing risk

Hazard

An incident occurred in April 2022 in which an employee of a food processing business operating an F320 emulsifier machine sustained partial amputation injuries to two fingers after their hand made contact with the rotating paddles of the expeller whilst clearing food material from the outlet chute. HSE examined the incident machine and found that it did not meet the essential health and safety requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008: Dangerous moving parts of the machine i.e. the cutting system and expeller, were readily accessible via the outlet opening. There were no physical safeguards at the outlet opening to prevent part of a person’s body (hands and fingers) accessing these parts of the machine. The dimensions of the outlet opening and length / configuration of the outlet chute did not restrict access either, and do not meet the requirements of BS EN ISO 13857:2008 ‘Safety of machinery - Safety distances to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs’. The manufacturer provided a design risk assessment for the machine in which they acknowledged that reaching through the outlet opening was possible. However, the need for risk reduction measures in this area do not appear to have been considered further.

Remedy

The UK importer has withdrawn the machine from the market and has confirmed they do not hold any machines of this type in stock. They have written to all customers in GB (four) to provide revised safety information. We are informed that they are working with the manufacturer to identify a design solution that will adequately safeguard future machines.

Product safety report

Measures taken

• Withdrawal of product from market

Product description

The F320 emulsifier is used for emulsifying bones, slaughterhouse waste and vegetables etc. The machine comprises a large inlet hopper, an electrically powered drive mechanism used to power the cutting system, and an outlet chute from which the processed food material exits the machine. The cutting system consists of a rotating knife plate and stationary perforated plate. After processing, the food material is forced by the paddles of a rotating expeller to the outlet chute.