Seven steps to ensuring safety and compliance in food and beverage manufacturing

In 1990, the "Recipe for Safety" initiative was launched by the food and drink manufacturing industries and the HSE to reduce workplace injuries and ill health.

Since the launch of the "Recipe for Safety" initiative, the overall rate of injuries reportable to the HSE has more than halved. However, the injury rate in the food and beverage manufacturing sector still exceeds Britain’s average for all manufacturing, indicating significant room for further improvement. Recent cases of accidents and health and safety breaches in the food and beverage manufacturing sector highlight the critical need for robust health and safety measures, particularly for engineering teams.

In 2024, a bakery company was fined £360,000 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to ensure employee protection, lacking proper risk assessments, and not having safe operating procedures in place. In 2023, a food manufacturer was fined £150,000 for failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

To help protect your people and business, we explore the key health and safety risks, the controls you should have in place and the legal frameworks you need to understand.

Food processing hazards

Nearly 500 injuries per year are reported to the HSE, and machinery and equipment are responsible for over 30% of fatal injuries, underscoring the critical importance of stringent safety measures.

Conveyors, particularly flat belt conveyors, are involved in 30% of machinery accidents in food and beverage manufacturing, more than any other class of machine. 90% of the injuries involve in-running transmission parts and trapping points between moving and fixed parts, and they occur during normal operations. Palletisers and depalletisers also present risks, including workers becoming trapped between moving and fixed parts, falling loads and unexpected machine movements.

Food packaging risks

Packaging machines are a staple in the manufacturing sector, with the food and beverage industry leading the way as the largest user. The pharmaceutical industry follows closely as the second-largest user, emphasising the widespread reliance on these machines across different sectors.

Injuries arising from the use, maintenance or clearing blockages at packaging machines can be severe or even fatal (for example with palletisers becoming trapped between moving and fixed parts).

According to the HSE, around 50% of injuries result from failures in guarding the forming dies, as well as failures to guard cutters on thermoform, fill and seal machines. The major issues include removed or inadequate guards and unsafe work practices.

Legal framework and compliance requirements

To safeguard employees and comply with legal standards, your business must adhere to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

PUWER mandates that all work equipment is suitable, properly guarded and maintained, with regular inspections by competent personnel. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require comprehensive risk assessments for all significant workplace risks, including work equipment and related tasks. These assessments must be followed by the implementation of safe systems of work and adequate training for employees.

Key considerations for your engineering/maintenance functions include:

• Engineering/maintenance equipment must be suitable for the intended use
• New equipment must have appropriate guarding and safety features
• Avoid domestic-rated equipment not designed for daily usage
• Hardwiring equipment and initial competent inspections are advised.

Risk assessment and mitigation strategies

We set out seven clear steps to effectively manage and mitigate manufacturing risks:

1. 01

   Conduct thorough risk assessments

   • Focus on machine-specific hazards
   • Implement dynamic risk assessment processes, such as Stop and Think assessments, to quickly identify and mitigate risks.

2. 02

   Safely isolate defective equipment

   • Use isolation padlocks and lock-off registers to ensure that defective equipment is safely isolated.

3. 03

   Establish permit-to-work systems

   • Set up and enforce both internal and external permit-to-work systems
   • Provide suitable training for all personnel involved in these systems.

4. 04

   Equip your team with the necessary competencies

   • Provide adequate information, instructions and specific competencies, such as mechanical and electrical knowledge
   • Ensure all team members are trained in safe systems of work.

5. 05

   Regular maintenance and inspections

   • Regularly maintain and inspect equipment to ensure it remains in a safe condition and is correctly installed
   • Conduct competent inspections at appropriate intervals
   • Integrate these inspections into your planned preventive maintenance systems, covering all equipment service requirements.

6. 06

   Pre-usage checks and audits

   • Ensure all work equipment, including workshop and ancillary tools, undergoes documented pre-usage checks
   • Use machine maps to specify areas to check
   • Conduct regular audits of engineering-controlled areas to identify and address potential hazards.

7. 07

   Additional inspections for special equipment

   • Pay special attention to equipment using local exhaust ventilation and pressure vessels
   • These require additional inspections and testing to ensure their safety and compliance.

By following these steps, your food and beverage business can significantly reduce manufacturing risks and ensure a safer working environment. To discuss how we can help, get in touch.