The worker, who has asked not to be named, ]]> A plastics firm which manufactures cases for computer games has been fined after an employee severed his finger in machinery at a factory in Corby.

The worker, who has asked not to be named, was trying to fix a problem on a colour dosing unit attached to an injection moulding machine at DuBois Ltd’s premises in Arkwright Road when the middle finger on his left hand became trapped in the rotating dial used to add colour to the plastic.

Doctors were unable to save his finger and it had to be amputated just above the knuckle. He was off work for several weeks and required physiotherapy for almost 10 months.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident, which happened on 22 May 2010, found the machine’s guard had been removed.

DuBois Ltd, trading as AGI Amaray, of Slough Interchange, Whittenham Close, Slough, Berkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Today, Corby magistrates fined the firm £7,000 and ordered it to pay costs of £4,677.

After the hearing HSE inspector Sally Harris said:

“The guarding was regularly removed to allow staff to calibrate the machine but it had not been put back. This meant the company did not prevent access to dangerous rotating parts and as a result a man suffered an entirely foreseeable, preventable and painful injury.”

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He said ” On the ]]> Do you know how safe your favorite takeaway is? Steve Naldrett, director of Ardan Training Consultancy Limited has been having a look at the hygiene ratings* for food businesses in Hull.

He said ” On the one hand the results really shocked me as approximately twenty five outlets scored 0, Over eighty premises scored only 1 and sixty scored 2. All of these premises represent unsatisfactory food safety standards. On the other hand 360 premises scored 3 and 4, while over three hundred and eighty scored the top score of 5.”

These figures show 17% of the 1000** retail food outlets in Hull are below the minimum food safety standards, but a massive 34% have scored the top score of 5.

Steve said, ” You might want to check your local food retailers score before comitting you and your family to their hygiene standards.”

* The food Hygiene Rating System is run by local authorities in partnership with the Food Standards Agency.
In areas where the scheme is running, each food business is given a food hygiene rating on a scale from 0 to 5 when it is inspected by a local authority food safety officer. The top rating is ‘5’ – which means the hygiene standards are very good. The bottom is ‘0’ – which indicates urgent improvement is required.
When you eat out or shop for food, look for a sticker, showing you the food hygiene rating for that business. You might find it displayed in the window, on the door, or as a certificate.
Does your favourite restaurant, takeaway or food shop have good hygiene standards?
You can find out at food.gov.uk/ratings.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is new. This means that not all food businesses will have a hygiene rating yet, but more businesses are being rated all the time.
A different scheme, with similar aims, is being rolled out by local authorities in Scotland.

**This figure is only the businesses in Hull that have been recorded so far on the online rating system.

These figures

Although these techniques are largely ]]> Food safety is one the pivotal concepts that have driven development of modern food processing. Conventional methods of microbial control mostly rely on refrigeration, heat, and/or chemical preservatives.

Although these techniques are largely successful, their major drawbacks are related to their effect on freshness and nutritional quality of processed food as well as their high energy demand. In recent years, there has been a strong demand for high-quality foods that retain most of their natural freshness and other organoleptic properties.

This has led to the development of several novel and innovative methods of microbial control in food processing, the most notable being microwave and radiofrequency heating (MW/RF), pulsed electric fields (PEFs), high pressure processing (HPP), and ionizing radiation.

Other emerging technologies include ohmic heating (OH), ultraviolet light, and ozonization.

After a brief overview of the conventional methods of food preservation currently employed, this chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the current state-of-the-art, applications, and challenges for these novel technologies.

Although many of these emerging methods have generated considerable interest among researchers, food producers, and consumers alike, several challenges need to be overcome before they obtain complete industrial and consumer adoption. In all likelihood, the future and success of these novel technologies will be driven by consumer demand for processed food that is safe yet fresh and the need for sustainable and energy-efficient practices in the food industry. To read full chapter-

http://www.springerlink.com/content/r137124767q61vq1/

As a former president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (2000-02) I was disgusted by the vitriolic tirade of nonsense spouted by David Cameron about how ]]> Letter to the Guardian- full story

As a former president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (2000-02) I was disgusted by the vitriolic tirade of nonsense spouted by David Cameron about how he will “kill off the health and safety culture” (Report, 6 January). He has learned nothing from the carefully researched Löfstedt report but has crafted it to suit his own ends.

Sir Bill Callaghan, when he was chairman of the former Health and Safety Commission, said that health and safety was the cornerstone of a civilised society. It is clear that Mr Cameron and his conservative cronies are determined to destroy that aspiration.

I challenge Mr Cameron and his yes man Chris Grayling to frontline participation in a workplace fatal accident investigation from the initial “blood on the floor” phase, through the inquest, to the criminal and civil claim proceedings, just as an inspector of the HSE or a local authority would have to do. This might cause him to stop and remember that the health and safety code, which I and others in my profession daily apply sensibly and proportionately to protect the lives of our workplace colleagues and the public, is the envy of the world.
Shame on you, Mr Cameron, in your espousal of the “big society” for failing to support this essential element of a civilised one, founded on the toll of death, injury and disease suffered by so many working people and other citizens over the past 200 years.
Paul Faupel
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

Most of us have packets of food lurking at the ]]> Steve Naldrett of Ardan Training Consultancy says, “The following issue is one of the most talked about topics on any food safety course that I run.”

Most of us have packets of food lurking at the back of the cupboard which are long past their best-before date. But as so many Irish households cut back on their grocery spend, is it a false economy to eat food that is out of date?

A survey by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) showed that nearly half of us eat foodstuffs which have passed their use-by date. The results, from a group of 1,000 questioned by the FSAI and Teagasc, show that consumers rely on their instinct, as opposed to labelling, to judge if something is safe to eat.

The 46pc of Irish consumers who disregard use-by dates said that they were happy to eat food as long as it “looked and smelled okay”. The FSAI think the statistic is worrying and shows Irish consumers are still willing to put their health at risk rather than throw something out.

“We would caution people, as food products contaminated with harmful bacteria may look okay and no different when they have gone beyond their use-by date,” says Dr Wayne Anderson, director of Food Science and Standards at the FSAI.

But ‘best-before’, ‘use-by’ and ‘sell-by’ dates are very frequently confusing and as the survey shows, many consumers don’t understand what the terms actually mean. Over a third of Irish consumers will not eat food that has passed its best-before date even if it looks and smells fine. This over-caution leads to many households needlessly wasting food.

The simplest way to understand ‘use-by’ and ‘best-before’ dates is to see them as applying to two different types of food. ‘Best-before’ dates are for foods that are not highly perishable. These are the groceries we store in cupboards or freezers: tins of beans, dried pasta, soups, noodles, pulses, sauces, frozen peas and pizzas. The best-before date gives a timescale for when the food can reasonably be expected to retain its “optimum conditions” — the specific properties of that food.

“With dry foods such as a packet of flour, their keepability is directly related to their dryness, so you’ve got to follow the storage instructions first,” says Dr Anderson. “The date is the cut-off point from where the manufacturer stops taking responsibility for that food, but a product could be good to eat for several months after a best-before date.”

So when it comes to those out-of-date tins of beans, use your own discretion whether to eat them or bin them. Dr Anderson urges consumers to “use your sense of smell, sight and taste — is there mould on it, is it discoloured or has it a strange smell? If it does, don’t eat it”.

‘Use-by’ dates need more serious attention. They are required for foods which after a certain period may develop microbiological risks and pose a danger to human health.

“Don’t mess about with use-by dates,” says Dr Anderson. “They are applied to products which are by law “perishable”. So even if that packaged ham looks fine, after the use-by date it could be growing bacteria and mould which can produce toxins, particularly in the case of meat and raw chicken.

So will a pack of rashers cooked a day or two past its use-by date make you sick?

“Probably not,” says Dr Anderson, “but it’s Russian roulette. There’s often one or two days of leeway built into that date in case there is a delivery hiccup or something like that. It’s a case of using your judgment and if you’re not sure, throw it out.”

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