Hotel operator ordered to pay £195,000 after employee suffered life-changing injuries

31 October 2023 by
Hotel operator ordered to pay £195,000 after employee suffered life-changing injuries

A hotel operator in Rutland has been ordered to pay more than £195,000 after an employee suffered life-changing injuries while trying to remove a loose branch from a tree using a makeshift platform.

The court heard that on 24 May 2021 Andrew Veasey and a colleague were working at Barnsdale Hall Hotel, which has since been rebranded to Rutland Hall Hotel and Spa. The pair were asked to remove a loose tree branch using a non-integrated working platform that has been attached to a JCB vehicle parked across a slope.

When the platform was raised, the vehicle toppled over and crushed the roof of a car before plummeting into a bank.

Veasey had to be resuscitated at the scene and sustained life-changing injuries which mean he is no longer able to care for himself.

An investigation, undertaken by Peterborough City Council, on behalf of Rutland County Council, revealed significant deficiencies in the defendant's risk assessments, level of training and instruction, safe use of machinery and system of work when carrying out non-routine tasks.

The case was heard at Leicester Magistrates Court on 19 September 2023, where the defendant pleaded guilty to a Section 2 offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, acknowledging it had failed in its duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees.

Barnsdale Hall Hotel was ordered to pay a fine of £146,700, together with £50,000 costs and a £190 victim surcharge.

Cllr Christine Wise, cabinet member for public protection and community safety at Rutland County Council, said: "This is an extremely serious case where failure to put appropriate health and safety measures in place has caused life-changing injuries to an individual, as well as irreparable damage to a family that will never be the same again.

"The sentence imposed on the defendant following its guilty plea should serve as a clear warning that employers have a duty of care towards their staff and action will be taken in response to breaches of health and safety law.

"The employers in question have taken all of the required regulatory action required in response to the findings of our investigation. However, nothing can return Mr Veasey to full health and so it is important those responsible are held accountable to the full extent of the law."

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media Group is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking