In its second safety prosecution in a month, Tesco has been ordered to pay more than £62,000 in penalties following a series of incidents at a large West Midlands store that endangered members of staff.
One employee suffered an electric shock, a second was trapped inside a produce chiller and another broke her ankle, during an 18-month period at the Tesco branch in Monkspath near Solihull.
Solihull Magistrates’ Court heard that in April 2006 Matthew Lawrence was trapped inside a walk-in refrigerator for up to 10 minutes because there was no emergency release handle or instructions to help him escape.
The following year Stuart Nutting, a general assistant in the Dot Com section, received a ‘deeply unpleasant’ electric shock from a faulty light switch at the supermarket. The 21-year-old was rushed to hospital where he made a full recovery.
The court also heard that 63-year-old worker Patricia Shale broke her ankle when she was walking on uneven ground in a dimly lit area leading to a temporary staff entrance.
An investigation found Tesco had not completed the necessary risk assessments and during a store inspection health and safety officers discovered a live unplugged cable, which added to the charges.
Barry Berlin, for the prosecution, said the safety violations amounted to a catalogue of serious systemic failures.
Tesco admitted three breaches of health and safety laws and Judge Nigel Cadbury ordered it to pay £62,615 in fines and costs. He said it had been a close run decision not to refer the case to the Crown Court, where a higher penalty could have been levied against the company.
This is the fifth time Tesco has been in court for health and safety breaches in little over a year.
