Moy Park and Victor Foster Poultry Services fined over workplace crushing incident

Two poultry companies – Moy Park and Victor Foster Poultry Services – have been hit with fines over an incident in 2017, when a worker was crushed by a forklift.
Moy Park was fined £125,000 for the incidentMoy Park was fined £125,000 for the incident
Moy Park was fined £125,000 for the incident

A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) said: “The prosecution came about following an HSENI investigation into an incident which occurred in 2017 that resulted in an employee receiving life-changing crush injuries.

“Both companies pleaded guilty to health and safety offences at an earlier hearing.”

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At Craigavon Crown Court today Moy Park Limited was fined £125,000, while Victor Foster Poultry Services Limited was fined £18,000.

The HSENI spokesperson added: “The investigation found that on December 1 2017, a male employee (aged 31) of Victor Foster Poultry Services Limited was working along with others in a commercial chicken house at a site in Moira, Co Down.

“While working in near-dark conditions he received multiple crush injuries when he was struck by a forklift truck. The only light sources in the chicken house at the time of the incident consisted of blue lights on the forklift truck, and head torches worn by the workers who had personally provided the equipment themselves.

“Despite the poorly lit conditions, Moy Park Limited had supplied the workers with dark blue overalls.”

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Both companies were found to have failed in their legal responsibilities to ensure safe working conditions.

Speaking after the hearing, Anne Cassidy, an inspector with the HSENI, said: “This was an avoidable incident that resulted in life-changing injuries to an employee because the principles of managing workplace transport were not applied.”

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