On October 14th, 2021, a North-East company specializing in artificial trees, plants, and flowers faced a serious legal consequence. The incident involved a warehouse worker who endured significant injuries following a fall from height.
In Newcastle Magistrates’ Court, it was revealed that the warehouse operative was retrieving items from shelf racking. These items were stored in boxes, placed unwrapped on pallets that stacked up to four levels high. Accessing these shelves required using a ladder, after which the worker would either drop the items down or carry them to the ground. During this process, the employee lost his balance, fell about five meters, and hit his head on a pallet, resulting in a severe head injury.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted a thorough investigation into the incident. Their findings were alarming: Treelocate (Europe) Limited had not adequately planned the work. Moreover, they failed to ensure safe access to the shelves and did not implement measures to prevent or mitigate falls from height.
As a result, Treelocate (Europe) Limited, located in Belford Industrial Estate, Belford, Northumberland, admitted to breaching Section 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Consequently, the company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay an additional £1,620.40 in costs by Newcastle Magistrates’ Court.
HSE inspector Phil Chester commented after the hearing, emphasizing the company’s shortcomings: “Treelocate (Europe) Ltd failed to suitably plan and carry out work at height in its warehouse to reduce the risk from working at height to as far as is reasonably practicable. Ladders should not just be the go-to piece of equipment for working at height, and suitable planning should be done to remove the risk where possible.”
