She had been seriously injured when she had just been hired the day before at the slaughterhouse of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, in Lower Navarre. The trial for an industrial accident was held on Thursday, December 16, 2021, before the Bayonne court under the chairmanship of Sebastien Ellul. The facts date back to March 1, 2018. That day, the employee responsible for cleaning a sheep slaughter line was the victim of a serious accident. The single-purpose intercommunal union of the Garazi slaughterhouse was tried as a legal person for “unintentional injuries through manifestly willful violation of an obligation to be safe or take care at work “.
Shock
Karine has only been working on the site for two days. The young mother must at the end of the day, with a pressure hose, clean the slaughter line when it is stopped, and in particular the tongs used to electrocute and stun the sheep before their butchering. On getting up, after cleaning the floor under the machine, “the mechanism starts up “ she explains. Pliers grab his head, and an electric shock causes him to pass out “I was very afraid” she insists at the bar of the criminal court. One of his ears is badly damaged. A reconstruction operation is then urgently needed at the Belhara clinic in Bayonne, as well as five days of hospitalization and three weeks of home care. 23 days of Temporary Interruption of Work are granted to him (ITT). Karine complains today of migraines and memory loss.
No witness to the accident
The accident took place without witnesses. During the investigation three employees explained that what happened to Karine was impossible, because the machine was not powered on. The director of the establishment emphasizes that “it was the first time that such an accident occurred on this channel”. According to the manager “two points of contact are needed for five seconds, so that the electrical system can be exchanged”. For the labor inspector, the employer is at fault for not having implemented the security measureseven though electric shock is unlikely. On the other hand, the public prosecutor Amelie Djaoudo has no qualms: “Karine did not have any training when she joined the company, she was alone next to a machine she did not know how to work, and the safety conditions were not guaranteed”. the prosecution asked for a fine of 20,000 euros against the SARL SIVU ABATTOIR.
In the camps opposite, a completely different opinion is developed. In defense of the slaughterhouse, there was no breach of the safety obligation, but the young woman was quite simply injured by getting up and hitting the sharp ends of the machine. The release is requested. The judgment will be rendered on January 13th.