Denmark’s Working Environment Authority has issued an immediate injunction against bakery company Kohberg after a serious accident involving a dough mixer at its plant in Bolderslev on July 22, 2026.
A male employee was seriously injured while emptying dough from a sourdough mixer into a tub at the factory in Bolderslev, in Aabenraa Municipality. Inspectors from Arbejdstilsynet went to the site the same day, according to Avisen Danmark, which obtained the authority’s report through an access-to-documents request.
In its reasoning for the injunction, Arbejdstilsynet states that the mixer was not used in a fully safe manner. Employees could come into contact with a rotating screw inside the machine while it was running and being emptied.
The machine is described in the report as being of older design. A hatch can be opened at the control panel, but there is no so-called dead man’s switch to cut all power. Kohberg is a well known bread producer with roots back to 1969.
Chief executive Søren Egesborg described the incident as a very serious and unfortunate workplace accident in which a colleague was seriously injured. He said the company’s first and continued focus has been on supporting the injured employee and his family.
Egesborg added that Kohberg takes the injunction seriously. The company has tightened instructions for using the machine and introduced further safety measures, including improved shielding. Workplace safety rules of this kind are part of the framework shaping Danish work culture.
The accident has also prompted a wider safety review at the factory. According to Egesborg, Kohberg has launched a prioritized review of existing risk assessments for its other machines, to establish whether changes are needed beyond the mixer involved.
The mixer had been covered by ordinary ongoing inspections and maintenance and was last serviced in January 2026. It had not previously been identified as a particular risk in the company’s workplace assessments, as reported by Avisen Danmark.
Authority weighs police report or fine
Arbejdstilsynet will now assess whether there is a basis for reporting the company to the police or issuing a fine. The authority describes this in its report as standard practice after this type of decision.
Egesborg said it would not be right to pre-empt the authorities’ assessment by drawing conclusions about the course of events, the cause or any responsibility. He said Kohberg is cooperating fully with Arbejdstilsynet and supplying the information needed for the case.
Neither the authority’s report nor the company specifies the exact nature of the employee’s injuries. Per guidance from Arbejdstilsynet published via Workplace Denmark in 2025, a strakspåbud must be complied with immediately. It is used when there is an imminent and significant risk of serious personal injury, and employers must report back on how the problem was solved.
