Food Manufacturer Fined For Dust Exposure And Manual Handling Failings

Puratos Limited pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law after HSE inspections found unsafe dust control practices and repeated manual handling of heavy sacks, leading to a £120,000 fine and costs. The case highlights the need for effective controls for dusty ingredients and safer ways to move materials in food manufacturing.

Puratos Limited, based at Buckingham Industrial Park, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,270 at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court on 17 July 2026. HSE inspections in December 2024 found that inhalable dust levels at the site could cause illnesses such as occupational asthma, and a workplace dust monitoring report from 18 December 2024 confirmed exposures above HSE workplace exposure limits.

Inspectors identified a number of unsafe practices that allowed dust to escape and spread, including leaks in machinery, the use of compressed air lines to blow down dust deposits, and dry sweeping with brushes and brooms. These gaps in control measures increased the risk of respiratory harm for staff handling dusty ingredients.

The investigation also found workers routinely required to manually lift 25 kg sacks of ingredients on a daily basis, creating a foreseeable risk of musculoskeletal injury from repeated heavy lifting. The site had previously been inspected in 2021 and faced enforcement action then in relation to dust exposure and manual handling risks.

This prosecution forms part of a series of HSE inspections at large bakeries across Great Britain that began in January 2026, aimed at ensuring employers protect workers from dangers posed by dusty ingredients such as flour. HSE notes that preventing exposure will remove the risk of occupational asthma and that employers should minimise manual handling through safer systems and equipment where reasonably practicable. The outcome underlines the importance of following legal duties and sentencing guidelines when risks are not adequately controlled.

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