Large Supermarket fined £3.5 million due to health and safety failures!
Morrisons Supermarket was found guilty of four health and safety failures following an employee fatality in 2014.
The supermarket was fined £ 3.5 million.
Matthew had suffered from epilepsy since the age of four. Morrisons were aware of his severe epilepsy and previously moved Matt to a different department and made adjustments following this change.
Matthew Gunn, died in hospital following a fall on the staff staircase, in Morrisons store on 25 September 2014. Matthew was a long-standing employee of 10 years. An epileptic seizure may have caused the fall, however, could not be confirmed with certainty.
The week prior to his fall, he had experienced an epileptic seizure in Morrisons warehouse, subsequently, his mother was called to pick him up.
The inquest concludes by saying “An absence of structured process and ownership in relation to managing a person with epilepsy, a lack of communication, no personal risk assessment, or the monitoring of thereof, and insufficient reporting all led to missed opportunities which may have contributed to Matt’s death.
The aspect of concern was the failure to record any observed or recorded epileptic event, Morrisons had been issued a ‘Prevention of Future Death’ regulation 28 report by the HM Senior Coroner for Gloucester.
Morrisons failed to put in place simple health and safety measures, to safeguard Matthew at work. Furthermore, Morrisons did not fully cooperate with all elements of the investigation. The significant fine enforced on Morrisons reflects the seriousness of the case and the failures of the company.
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