Chemical Logistics Company Fined After Warehouse Supervisor Dies Following Ramp Fall

Bertschi UK Limited was fined after an investigation found it failed to assess and control risks associated with using a mobile loading ramp, and allowed pedestrian use without handrails despite manufacturer guidance. The case highlights employer duties on planning work at height and the need to consider safer alternatives.

Bertschi UK Limited has been fined after a warehouse supervisor, Peter Hutchinson, fell from a mobile loading ramp while loading a shipping container at the company site in Middlesbrough on 4 November 2021. Mr Hutchinson, aged 60, was struck by a slipping plastic bale and stepped back, falling approximately one and a half metres onto concrete; he later died in hospital on 23 November 2021. His family have said he was a much loved family man and that they are struggling to come to terms with the loss.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the company did not properly assess the risks of the loading activity or the risks from pedestrian use of the mobile loading ramp. Employees were allowed to access the ramp without handrails despite the ramp manufacturer advising that pedestrians should not use the ramp unless handrails were fitted. The investigation also found the company had not adequately considered reasonably practicable alternatives that would have avoided work at height, such as using existing loading bays or placing containers on the ground before loading.

Following a trial at Teesside Crown Court in April 2026, Bertschi UK was found guilty of breaching Section 2 1 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulations 4 1 a and 6 2 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £425,000 and ordered to pay costs of £119,258 at a sentencing hearing on 17 July 2026.

The case underlines dutyholder obligations to plan and assess work at height and to avoid such work where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Where avoidance is not possible, appropriate measures must be in place to prevent falls and protect workers. The HSE has emphasised that changes to working practices can introduce new hazards and that employers must identify and control those risks before work begins, with enforcement action taken when workers are unnecessarily exposed to danger.

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