Scottish fish processing firm fined after worker dragged into machine

A fish processing company in Aberdeenshire has been fined almost a quarter of a million pounds after a worker was dragged into a machine through a gap where a safety guard should have been.

The man suffered a fractured jaw and trauma to his chest and right arm when he was pulled into a conveyor mechanism on a production line at Lunar Freezing and Cold Storage Company Limited’s premises in Peterhead on August 19 last year.

The man, then aged 30, needed surgery to insert metal plates in his jaw and spent three days in hospital.

He was working as chargehand on a production line at the facility when the incident happened. He later returned to work on September 29 2025 and has since made a full recovery.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that a section of fixed guarding had been removed during maintenance two weeks earlier and had not been put back.

Without the guard, HSE said the gap gave access to the machine without the power being isolated.

HSE found that had the guarding been in place, the only way into the machine would have been through the interlocked gate, and the incident would not have happened.

Lunar Freezing and Cold Storage Company Ltd, of East Quay, The Harbour, Peterhead, pleaded guilty to breaching sections of work equipment regulations related to dangerous parts of machinery and breaching a health and safety regulation.

The company was fined £245,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £18,375, at Peterhead Sheriff Court on Wednesday, HSE said.

“This was a wholly preventable incident which left a worker seriously injured,” HSE inspector Nicky Smith said.

“A missing guard and an unchecked gap left the way open for a worker to be dragged into a machine. Guards must be kept in place, and checks must cover every guard, not just the electrical ones.”

Lunar Freezing and Cold Storage Company Limited has been approached for comment.