John Lewis fined £1.2m after warehouse worker fell from steps without handrails

The incident happened in February 2022 at a John Lewis warehouse in Milton Keynes. The worker was using a small set of steps over a conveyor belt when they fell and suffered a broken hip, which required extensive surgery and resulted in long-term complications, said Milton Keynes City Council, which investigated the incident.

The investigation found that the steps were unsafe because they did not have handrails. John Lewis Plc pleaded guilty in late November at Oxford Magistrates Court to breaching sections 2, 3 and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999.

The retailer was found to have failed to undertake a suitable and significant risk assessment for crossing conveyor belts. It had also not provided a safe system of work for employees and agency workers and did not provide adequate information or training to staff.

The judge ordered John Lewis to pay a £1.2 million fine after granting a reduction following the company’s early guilty plea, remorse for the incident and compliance with the investigation. John Lewis was also ordered to pay £11,271 in costs and a statutory surcharge of £190.

“Slips, trips and falls are a major cause of injury in workplaces and the onus is on businesses to ensure they provide safe working environments. There are lessons to be learnt from this case to prevent similar incidents in the future,” said Cllr Mick Legg, cabinet member for regulatory services at Milton Keynes City Council.