The dairy producer was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on December 22, following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The court heard that on July 8 2015, a worker was changing the refrigeration gas of the chilled storage units at Müller’s Lake Road, Trafford Park factory, with the assistance of two colleagues.
They were working in the roof void of the chilled store building above the chilled units.
One of the workers stood on a fragile fire board panel at the edge of the roof space and fell down the void between the chilled unit and the building shell. He suffered injuries to his head and body.
Fragile roof panels
An HSE investigation found the workers were not warned by Müller about the fragile roof panels above the void.
The company had failed to carry out an adequate risk assessment prior to allowing access to the area. It also failed to share information about the dangers posed by the fragile panels prior to work being undertaken.
The panels were not clearly visible, had no warning markers and there were no barriers to prevent access to fragile areas.
Muller UK and Ireland Group LLP, of Tern Valley Business Park, Shrewsbury Road, Market Drayton, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974.
Pleaded guilty
The company was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £9,336.90 costs.
HSE inspector Jane Carroll said after the hearing: “This case highlights how important it is that a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is undertaken for all work at height and work within roof voids, to identify the potential for fragile panels to be present.”
Meanwhile, there were a number of health and safety failings involving falls from height at food and drink firms last year.
ICH ltd was fined £20,000 after one of its workers fell through the ceiling of and Iceland Foods’s store, while Tesco Stores Ltd and Tesco Maintenance Ltd were ordered to pay more than £500,000 after an employee fell through a skylight.