A furniture etailer has been prosecuted over health and safety failings for a second time.
Exclusive Oriental Classics and director Kian Hoo Tay were fined £67,145 and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs after pleading guilty at a hearing at Luton Magistrates Court (pictured) after an employee fell from racking at its Bedford warehouse last year.
On 1 March 2022, environmental health officers at Bedford Borough Council were alerted to a potentially life threating workplace accident at the warehouse. An employee had fallen approximately 3m from racking, sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Investigations identified multiple health and safety failings and significant failures to manage risks to the health and safety of employees. In particular failings were identified in relation to the installation, inspection, maintenance, and use of the racking. Failures were also identified in the inspection and maintenance of a forklift truck used at the warehouse.
Employees had also been directed to undertake work at height without adequate safety measures being implemented to protect their safety.
The court found that the company had failed to implement recognised industry standards and allowed these breaches to persist over a significant period of time.
The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted the company in October 2022 over the accident after it emerged that the company had failed to renew its Employers’ Liability (Compulsory) Insurance, which had expired in May 2021.
