A national pub chain has been taken to court and fined following an incident at its establishment in Blackwood.
JD Wetherspoon PLC was fined a total of £8429.54 following the incident at The Sirhowy in Blackwood last March in which an employee sustained heavy bruising when articles that were stored above a suspended ceiling fell on him.
Following an in depth accident investigation, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Environmental Health team brought about the prosecution, which was heard at Caerphilly Magistrates Court on Monday 18th January 2010.
The company pleaded guilty to the following offences: –
- Section 2 2(b) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, in that they failed to ensure safety and the absence of risks to health in connection with the use and storage of articles.
- Regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, in that they failed to monitor the preventative and protective measures detailed in the companies own risk assessment.
- Regulation 9(1) of the Work at Heights Regulations 2005, in that they failed to prevent an employee working on or above a fragile surface.
JD Wetherspoon PLC were ordered to pay a total of £8429.54 within 28 days, as Magistrates imposed a fine of £7,500, with costs of £914.54 and a victim surcharge of £15.
Cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Lyn Ackerman said, “We take all reports of accidents reported to the council very seriously and investigate them thoroughly.
Although in this case the employee was not seriously hurt, the investigation identified serious deficiencies with the company’s policies. I am pleased that the court has reflected this in the fine”.
