A 61-year-old farm worker was fatally strangled after his clothes became caught in a hen-feeding machine due to a missing 50p screw.
A farm worker was strangled to death after his clothes became caught in a hen-feeding machine because a 50p screw was missing, according to a report from the DAILY MAIL. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that 61-year-old Alban Watts died on January 11, 2023, while working for Bell Mount Farming Limited in Great Salkeld, Penrith, Cumbria.
Watts, who lived in Blencow, was working alone in a poultry shed when his clothes were pulled into an unguarded rotating sprocket powering the feeding system. The machine ran for three-minute intervals throughout the day but remained stationary otherwise. Investigators discovered that the guard meant to prevent access to dangerous parts had been improperly fitted, with stripped bolt holes and misaligned fittings that stopped it from being secured.
Bell Mount Farming Limited pleaded guilty at Warrington Magistrates’ Court to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £6,038 in costs.
Watts’ siblings, Martin and Louise, said: “Losing Alban has taken a part of our trio… we are angry that his life was worth less than a 50p screw.” His mother, Noreen, described the death as “cruel,” adding, “Due to the lack of a machine guard, my dear son Alban has been killed and taken from me.”
HSE Inspector Matthew Shepherd said the failure was a “basic and simple” one with devastating consequences.