Wholesaler fined heavily after employee badly injured in workplace accident

A wholesale firm has been fined £776,286 after one of its employees was badly injured in a workplace accident.

According to a recent report, T. Quality Limited, a UK food wholesaler with 12 sites across England, was fined following multiple injuries suffered by an employee at its Avonmouth depot in Bristol. The company pleaded guilty  to four offences under health and safety laws at Bristol Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay a total of £776,286.30.

This includes a fine of £760,000 and £16,286.30 prosecution costs. The case followed an incident in April 2022, in which an employee was buried under a pallet of frozen chips that fell on him as he walked into the freezer, leaving him with multiple serious injuries.

An investigation by Bristol City Council’s Public Protection Team identified that the report submitted by the company was inaccurate.

The initial report alleged that a 28-year-old employee had only suffered a broken ankle, however it was later discovered that the full extent of the injuries sustained was much more severe. The employee suffered multiple injuries which required intensive care and underwent a total of three operations. It would then take a further three months before the employee could return home with the help of a support worker, The Business Desk reported.

The investigation showed that on the morning of 15 April 2022, space was restricted in the freezer warehouse, leading to two pallets of frozen food being stacked on top of each other. When the employee walked into the freezer the top pallet fell onto him. Further investigation showed that the way in which goods were stacked had not been assessed and a Prohibition Notice was issued to prevent this from happening again.

Following a health and safety inspection of the site, four Improvement Notices were also served due to the lack of suitable and sufficient risk assessments for stacking of goods; the lack of separation of pedestrians and vehicles for both employees and visitors to the site; and failing to ensure that racking was maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order, and in good repair, states the report.

Stephen Williams, chair of the Public Health and Communities Committee said, “All businesses in Bristol are required to meet their health and safety obligations and have a duty of care to all employees in their care. T Quality Limited did not meet these obligations and as a result, one of their employees has suffered significant injuries.

“The council takes the safety of Bristol workers very seriously and we remain committed to ensuring all businesses meet their responsibilities so that employees can carry out their work confidently and safely. I hope that today’s verdict serves as a clear reminder of the importance of adhering to commercial health and safety protocols, as well as the consequences for those who do not.”