In the Jelgava region, a young man suffered a serious hand injury at an animal feed production facility. Following the incident, an investigation was launched, and the circumstances of what happened raised questions not only about compliance with safety regulations but also about unofficial employment.
Currently, 25-year-old Artyom is undergoing treatment at the "Gaiļezers" hospital in Riga. According to his mother Kristine, he nearly lost his hand at the workplace.
The woman told the Bez Tabu program (TV3) that her son had lived on the premises of a company owned by her relatives for about three years and helped with various tasks there.
According to his mother, Artyom was not supposed to be working near the equipment where the accident occurred. Furthermore, he did not have an official employment contract.
Kristine herself is convinced that there may have been violations of occupational safety requirements at the company, and she has already contacted the responsible authorities to request inspections.
The company does not deny that the incident occurred but emphasizes that the man was in a state of severe alcohol intoxication.
According to the wife of the company owner, Dace, Artyom is a relative of the family and had lived on the farm for several years.
"It’s good that it didn’t end much worse. His hand was injured, a finger was damaged, but he retained sensitivity and can move his hand," she said.
Artyom himself admits that he was drunk at the time of the incident and made a mistake while working.
"I was doing everything in a hurry. I was pushing the meat inside, and my hand got pulled in with it. Fortunately, a colleague immediately stopped the meat grinder, pulled my hand out, and called an ambulance," the injured man recounted.
He also confirmed that he was not officially employed. According to him, he lived with relatives and helped around the house—mowing the grass, cleaning the area, and occasionally doing various jobs at the production facility.
After the incident, the State Labor Inspectorate began an investigation. The agency reminds that non-compliance with occupational safety requirements and the use of undeclared labor can lead to serious consequences for the employer, including fines and other operational restrictions.
According to the owners of the company, such an accident has not occurred in their decades of operation. Meanwhile, the family states that they do not intend to leave Artyom without support.
"He will live here and work officially. There will be a job he can do after recovery," Dace said.
Now, the circumstances of the incident will be assessed by inspectors who must determine whether safety requirements were met and under what conditions the injured person was actually working.
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