Supermarket fined £3.5m over death of Tewkesbury man
27 year old Matthew Gunn, who had epilepsy, died after a fall on the stairs at Morrisons in the town
Last updated 21st Mar 2023
Morrisons Supermarkets have been fined £3.5million after the death of a man in its store in Tewkesbury.
27 year old staff member Matthew Gunn - who had epilepsy - fell on a staircase in September 2014.
The chain was charged with three health and safety violations which it denied:
- Failing to ensure the health and safety of an employee who had epilepsy
- Failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the employee who had epilepsy
- Failing to review risks to which an employee with epilepsy might be exposed
The company admitted a fourth charge of failure to supply the council with requested information relating to the death of an employee.
The firm was fond guilty of all four charges last month following a three week trial at Cirencester Courthouse.
In sentencing on Friday 17th March the judge placed the offences in the highest category of culpability and harm and handed out the £3.5million fine.
Tewkesbury Borough Council's Head of Community Services, Peter Tonge, said, "This was a long and difficult investigation, and the successful court outcome is a reflection of the dedication and professionalism of our investigation team.
"Matthew Gunn was extremely vulnerable to health and safety risks in his workplace due to his severe epilepsy.
"Despite being aware of the risks, Morrisons failed to put in place a number of simple measures which could have kept Matthew safe at work. Furthermore, Morrisons failed to co-operate with elements of our investigation, and we are satisfied that the substantial fine imposed by the court reflects the seriousness of the omissions and failures on the part of the company.
"We hope this court outcome will send a message to all employers of the importance of complying with basic health and safety duties, and properly assessing risks, especially when it comes to vulnerable employees.
"Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Matthew’s family for their enormous patience and support throughout this investigation and we hope that the sentence imposed on Morrisons today will finally provide them with the justice they deserve after all these years."