A bakery in Hull has been fined £1,000,000 after a self-employed contractor fell to his death from a stepladder.
Hull Crown Court heard the worker was contracted to carry out electrical work at Greencore Grocery Ltd site in Hull in October 2013. The worker was wiring a motor situated above a machine whilst standing on a stepladder, but fell and suffered fatal injuries.
Greencore Grocery Ltd had agreed the activity could be carried out using a stepladder, which it had then provided. A HSE investigation found the company had failed to properly plan the activity from the beginning, such as having no real access arrangements to the motor in place.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and as well as the £1m fine, Greencore Grocery Ltd was also ordered to pay costs of £30,000.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Denise Fotheringham said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work related fatalities in Great Britain, the risks associated with working at height are well known.
“Work at height regulations require that all work at height is properly planned and appropriate access is provided. If Greencore had carried this out this death could have been prevented.”
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