James Jones & Sons (Pallets and Packaging) Limited, which operates on the site of the Tesco Distribution Centre at Deans Industrial Estate, Livingston pled guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Prosecutors told Livingston Sheriff court that an investigation by the local authority found the company failed to maintain critical safety barriers and allowed unsafe practices to develop and persist.

Debbie Carroll, who leads on health and safety investigations for the Crown Office, said: “A broken safety barrier and poor supervision meant a worker could enter dangerous machinery while it was still running.

“The resulting accident was foreseeable and could have been avoided if the company had properly maintained and enforced the existing safe system of work.

“This prosecution should remind employers that failing to fulfil their obligations can have serious consequences and that they will be held accountable for such failures.”