Food retailer fined after worker suffers severe injuries

Date:

27 November 2009

Release No:

COILON/2711

A major food retailer was fined after an employee was knocked unconscious and severely injured following a four metre fall at a Wembley warehouse.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted EAT Ltd of Unit 32-34, Fourth Way, Wembley Industrial Estate, Brent, who pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,500, yesterday, at the City of London Magistrates' Court.

The court heard that on 28 January 2007, warehouse worker Chirag Ray, 31, of Wembley, Brent, was seriously injured at EAT Limited's Central Production Unit in Wembley. At the time of the incident, Mr Ray was preparing pallets for delivery to the company's retail shops. He was working in a raised man-riding cage, which was not properly fixed to the forklift truck. Whilst raised to height of approximately 4.6 metres, the cage slipped off the forks and fell. Mr Ray was unconscious in hospital for two days and suffered swelling to the brain, a broken hand, broken elbow, cracked ribs and a dislocated knee.

The HSE investigation showed that EAT did not have adequate measures in place to control the risks of working at height. The cage used was not suitable for order picking and the work was being carried in an unsafe manner. Evidence also showed that a colleague working on the ground narrowly escaped injury as the cage fell.

HSE inspector, Ravi Govin-Pillay said:

• "Falls from height are the single biggest single cause of fatal injuries at work. Each year there are around 60 people killed and 4,000 major injuries caused by falls in the workplace. On this occasion, Mr Ray was seriously injured and lucky to escape death. One of his colleagues narrowly avoided serious injury.
• "The risk of harm from falling from the working platform was clearly foreseeable. Had this work been properly planned or supervised, then this needless incident would have easily been prevented.
• "It is important for companies to have the necessary planning and supervision in place to control the risks of injury from working at height. There is good HSE guidance available in publications and on the HSE website about the hazards of working at height and the measures that can be taken to reduce the risks. There is no excuse for putting workers at risk."

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states: "Every employer shall ensure that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner which is so far as is reasonably practicable safe."
2. For information on working at height please see the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR London.