Employee’s hand crushed by restaurant’s pasta machine

AN ITALIAN restaurant has been fined more than £170,000 after an employee’s hand was caught in a pasta-making machine for nearly 20 minutes.

The worker suffered “horrific” injuries after his hand was pulled into the device at Cecconi’s in Mayfair, central London, on April 19 2017, while trying to remove an obstruction inside it.

Two colleagues rushed to help and eventually managed to free the employee’s hand, but the person was left with four fractured fingers and had to have surgery to repair the damage.

Westminster City Council officers found that the pasta-making machine was still being used after the accident and were forced to serve a prohibition notice to stop it being operated.

City of London magistrates’ court heard that the restaurant’s health and safety systems created a “risk of harm”. District Judge Nina Tempia told the court that health and safety systems “were in place but they were not adhered to or implemented”.

The operators of Cecconi’s, Soho House Ltd, admitted four charges related to health and safety breaches and were fined £166,667. They were also ordered to pay a further £5,306.50 in prosecution costs and a £170 victim surcharge.

Cllr Ian Adams, cabinet member for public protection and licensing, said: “The risks of using complex equipment, such as a pasta maker, should never be underestimated or ignored.

“Health and safety doesn’t end after training; employers need to ensure these systems are followed to the letter.

“This case should remind every business of the importance of keeping health and safety procedures at the forefront”.