Nestlé worker seriously injured after getting arm trapped in Rolo machine

A Nestlé technician suffered serious injuries after his arm became trapped in a Rolo machine at the company's factory. The employee, who was 25 years old at the time, sustained multiple fractures and tissue damage following the incident in November 2020.

He had been assessing a problem underneath the "Rolo Racetrack" machine when his sleeve got caught in the roller, crushing his arm. The worker screamed for help and was eventually freed by his colleagues before being rushed to hospital.

His wound later became infected and he was prescribed morphine for three months after the incident to help with the pain, Chronicle Live reports. During a hearing at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, Nestlé UK Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to discharge general health, safety and welfare duty to an employee; and contravening a health and safety regulation.

The court heard the company failed to provide a safe system of work in relation to the maintenance of the Rolo Racetrack machine and failed to provide a guard which would have prevented access to dangerous parts of the Rolo Racetrack machine. The court was told the incident happened on November 30, 2020, and involved a maintenance technician who worked in the Rolo and Matchmakers product areas at the Newcastle factory.

The night before the incident, the technician had started night shift and was performing his normal duties alongside another technician when a problem was identified on a belt of the Rolo Racetrack machine. The technicians found the belt was "tracking to one side" but adjustments were made and the machine was restored.

But the next night, at around 2am, the technician who came to be injured went to inspect the machine for a blockage after an alarm began to