Two workers were found frozen to death at a chicken factory in Norfolk, leading to guilty pleas from the companies involved regarding health and safety violations.
In a tragic incident, two subcontractors, Jonathan Collins and Neil Moon, were found dead at the Banham Poultry Ltd factory in Attleborough, Norfolk, after suffering from hypothermia, as indicated by their frozen hands and faces. The police were alerted to the scene at approximately 1 AM on October 4, 2018, and upon arrival, they discovered the men unresponsive. They had been working for a pest control company, and their deaths prompted an inquiry into the factory's conditions.
Following the investigation, it was revealed that both Banham Poultry Ltd and Air Products PLC had failed to adhere to health and safety regulations, which contributed directly to the tragic deaths of the two workers. As a result, both companies have now pleaded guilty to multiple health and safety breaches. This incident raises significant concerns about workplace safety at the factory and the broader implications for subcontractors who often work in hazardous conditions without adequate protections.
The outcome of this case highlights the critical importance of enforcing health and safety regulations to ensure the well-being of all workers, particularly those employed through subcontractors who may not receive the same level of vigilance as direct employees. The guilty pleas from Banham Poultry Ltd and Air Products PLC may lead to further scrutiny over safety practices in the poultry industry and could trigger changes in regulatory enforcement to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
