- Two workmen burnt to death after managers at a bakery
sent them into a giant bread oven that had been given only two hours to
cool down. They were trapped in temperatures of 100C after boarding a conveyor
belt into the centre of the 75ft oven.
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- David Mayes and Ian Erickson died after they were asked
to carry out repairs at the Harvestime bakery in Leicester in May 1998.
Management had decided to use their own staff to save £2,500 quoted
by the manufacturers to carry out repairs.
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- Leicester Crown Court was told yesterday that the oven
should have been left for 12 hours to cool before work was undertaken.
Mr Mayes and Mr Erickson tried to retrieve a broken part two hours after
the oven had been baking bread at 260C.
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- John Bridson, 53, the Fresha Bakeries managing director,
of Hale, Cheshire, admitted two charges under the Health and Safety At
Work Act. Brian Jones, 59, production director, of Hartford, Northwich,
Cheshire, pleaded guilty to one charge of the same offence.Dennis Masters,
44, chief engineer, of Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, admitted one charge
of failing to take reasonable care for others at work.
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- Fresha Bakeries, trading as Harvestime, entered guilty
pleas to four further charges. Sentences are expected at the end of the
hearing, which is scheduled to last three days.
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- Anthony Barker, QC, for the prosecution, said that Harvestime
had failed to ensure the men,s safety and had not set up any contingency
plans. "These men were allowed to work in circumstances where serious
injury or death was almost inevitable, he said.
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- "They were in the oven for at least 17 minutes until
they came out at the other end " the time for the conveyor to go from
one end to the other. There was no system to reverse the conveyor. They
died as a result of a complete failure to ensure their safety at every
level of the company.
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- Mr Barker said that Harvestime decided to carry out repairs
"in house because the oven,s makers estimated a proper job would take
four men 12 hours. The company, which would have lost £1,120 for
every hour the oven was shut down, prized productivity above safety, he
told the court.
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- Mr Barker said that fans at one end of the machine had
cooled the temperature to 40C so the men were initially unaware of any
danger. When Mr Erickson was pulled from the oven, he had reddened skin,
skin loss and skin slippage. He had suffered circulatory collapse. When
Mr Mayes,s body was recovered by firefighters he had suffered 80 per cent
burns, cuts and fractures to his arm, ankle, ribs and spine.
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- He had told friends the night before: "I have a
challenge in the morning. I am going for it " the money is good.
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- Mr Barker said: "It was the duty of the employers
to ensure the job was safe.
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- Coleman Treacy, QC, for the accused, said: "The
company acknowledges it was at fault. It failed in its duty to both men,
and that has caused untold heartache to the families. For this we publicly
apologise.
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- The hearing continues.
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