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 Home Health and Safety Health and Safety News
Supermarkets fined for dangerous equipment
16 June 2008
Two recent prosecutions highlight the risks from machinery and equipment used in large stores.
In April, Tesco were fined a total of £25,000 after a faulty hydraulic arm on a scissor lift in a Sheffield store knocked an employee unconscious. The incident happened when the hydraulic arm of a scissor lift struck the employee on the head - four days after it had been reported as defective. Although the hydraulic arm had been tied down and a 'do not use' sign had been stuck on it, this was not in place at the time of the incident. Tesco admitted breaching health and safety legislation at Sheffield Magistrates Court. The firm was fined £20,000 for failing to protect the safety of their employees and £5,000 for allowing a defective lift to be used without a thorough examination.
And in June, Waitrose were fined £25,000 after a teenage worker had his arm crushed in a cardboard baling machine at a Birmingham store. The 17-year-old broke both bones in his arm and was trapped in the machine for an hour and a half, Birmingham Magistrates' Court heard. He had to undergo operations, including a bone graft. Waitrose Ltd pleaded guilty to safety offences in the prosecution brought by Birmingham City Council. The first charge related to failing to provide a safe system for using the machine, for which the company was fined the maximum at magistrates' court of £20,000. It was fined £5,000 for a second charge that it failed to carry out a sufficient risk assessment for the young people it employed.
Contact Details
Health and Safety section
Ph: 0161 249 2441
Fax: 0161 249 2475
Email: healthandsafety@usdaw.org.uk
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