Pret a Manger fined £800,000 after worker left trapped in -18°C freezer
Sian Elvin
Thursday 31 Aug 2023
She tried to tear up a cardboard box containing chocolate croissants
to keep herself warm (Picture: Shutterstock)
A Pret a Manger worker feared for her life after she was left trapped in a walk-in freezer for two-and-a-half hours.
The sandwich chain was fined £800,000 over the incident at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The company pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 following an investigation by Westminster City Council.
The court heard how a member of staff working at the Victoria Coach Station branch became stuck in the shop’s commercial freezer on July 29, 2021.
She was wearing only jeans and a t-shirt in an environment where the temperature is typically set to run at -18°C.
Despite the limited space in the freezer the worker attempted to keep warm by moving around.
But after some time she started to feel ill – her breathing felt restricted and she was losing sensation in her thighs and feet.
A Pret a Manger worker feared for her life after she was left trapped in a walk-in freezer for two-and-a-half hours.
The sandwich chain was fined £800,000 over the incident at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The company pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 following an investigation by Westminster City Council.
The court heard how a member of staff working at the Victoria Coach Station branch became stuck in the shop’s commercial freezer on July 29, 2021.
She was wearing only jeans and a t-shirt in an environment where the temperature is typically set to run at -18°C.
Despite the limited space in the freezer the worker attempted to keep warm by moving around.
But after some time she started to feel ill – her breathing felt restricted and she was losing sensation in her thighs and feet.
At one point she attempted to tear up a cardboard box holding chocolate croissants to try and shield herself from the ventilator blowing out cold air, but found her hands were too stiff and cold to pull it apart.
A colleague eventually found her in ‘a state of distress’, thinking she was going to die.
She was taken to hospital and treated for suspected hypothermia.
The subsequent investigation found there was no suitable risk assessment in placeand over the past 19 months there had been several call-outs relating to broken or frozen push buttons inside the freezer.
On a similar occasion in January 2020 another worker also became trapped in the freezer and couldn’t open the door from the inside due to the internal release mechanism not working.
Pret a Manger was ordered to pay the council its full costs and a victim surcharge within 28 days.
The district judge had reduced the fine from £1.6 million due to the early guilty plea and mitigation.
Councillor and deputy leader Aicha Less said: ‘The shocking details of this case show a lapse of due care and attention. This incident shows that overlooking basic safety measures can have the most serious consequences.
‘We hope the significant fine awarded in court acts to all businesses as a warning, preventing this from ever happening again.
‘Westminster City Council will continue to work with businesses to make sure the highest levels of health and safety are consistently maintained and educate staff in safe practice.’
A Pret A Manger spokesperson said: ‘We are incredibly sorry for our colleague’s experience and understand how distressing this must have been.
‘We have carried out a full review and have worked with the manufacturer to develop a solution to stop this from happening again.
‘Following the incident, we have revisited all our existing systems and where appropriate, enhanced these processes, and have co-operated fully with Westminster City Council’s investigation.’
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