Publicans urged to work safe after JW Lees is fined
Publicans have been warned to make sure their kitchen staff are safe after Manchester pubco JW Lees was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £1,370 in costs for safety failings.
Sixteen-year-old kitchen assistant Bradley Whitehead was standing on a stepladder using a steam cleaner in the kitchen of the Boat and Horses in Broadway, Chadderton, near Oldham, in April 2003. He fell off the ladder and landed with his arm in hot oil in a deep fat fryer, scarring him for life and badly affecting his GCSE studies.
At Oldham magistrates court on April 29, JW Lees admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. The court was told the company had not carried out a risk assessment for the use of ladders or steam cleaners and had not given Mr Whitehead any training.
The company was fined £20,000, plus £1,370 costs. Mr Whitehead is now considering taking civil action to claim compensation from JW Lees for the after-effects of his accident.
"The health and safety of all our employees is something we take extremely seriously and we go to great lengths to ensure all our employees are familiar with the systems and procedures we have in place," said a spokesman for JW Lees.
"All catering staff have been reminded of the importance of adhering to these procedures and we have taken additional measures, including supplementary training where necessary, to ensure this incident is not repeated."
John Hurst, assistant director of environmental services at Oldham council, said: "This court case highlights the need for businesses to carry out full risk assessments of all their work activities and for special account to be taken when young people are employed."
Belinda Hooley, operations manager at environmental health consultancy Perry Scott Nash, said: "Publicans really need to be aware of all the hazards related to a task, particularly when a staff member is inexperienced or under 18."
