Bakery Company Fined After Fall From Pallet Box Causes Hip Fracture

Brief Summary

A bakery employee suffered a hip fracture after falling from a large plastic pallet box while disposing of food waste into a skip. The company was fined because it did not carry out a suitable risk assessment for loading skips, did not provide appropriate equipment for safe access, and unsafe working at height practices were not adequately supervised or monitored.

What Was The Incident?

On 15 April 2024, at a bakery site in Lostock, Bolton, an employee was standing on a large plastic pallet box to dispose of food waste into the top of a skip. They fell and fractured their hip.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £16,667 and ordered to pay costs of £4,333.66, plus a victim surcharge of £2,000, at Tameside Magistrates' Court on 13 March 2026.

What Lessons Can Be Learnt?

Carry out a suitable risk assessment for skip loading. Identify work at height activities involved in loading skips and assess the specific risks so safe methods and controls are clearly established.

Provide appropriate equipment for safe access. Ensure workers can reach the skip safely using suitable equipment, rather than relying on makeshift access such as standing on pallet boxes.

Supervise and monitor working at height. Put effective supervision and monitoring in place to detect unsafe working at height practices early and stop them from becoming routine.

Ensure safe systems are actually used in practice. The case highlights that having arrangements on paper is not enough, because inadequate supervision allowed unsafe practices to become commonplace.

Use working at height guidance to inform planning. Apply relevant HSE guidance by planning the task, selecting suitable equipment, and setting out supervision expectations for work at height.

HSE Prosecution Link