John Lewis PLC charged with criminal offences at Milton Keynes distribution centre

John Lewis PLC is facing criminal court proceedings for allegedly breaking health and safety regulations at its massive Magna Park distribution centre in Milton Keynes.

The company is charged with failing to discharge general health, safety and welfare duty to employees, contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act.

They are due to appear before Buckinghamshire magistrates this Friday, January 19. It is the first time the case has been listed and there is no indication of whether the plea will be guilty or not guilty.

There are two charges listed in court documents, but they could be interchangeable. Both concern the risks of crossing conveyor belts.

If found guilty of either charge, company bosses could face six months in prison and/or a hefty fine.

The first charge reads: “On 10/02/2022 at John Lewis, Magna Park, Fen Street, being an employer, failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all your employees in that: 1. Failing to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risks associated with crossing conveyors belts. 2. Failing to maintain a safe system of work to protect employees from the risk associated with crossing belts. 3. Failing to provide adequate information, instruction, supervision and training for crossing conveyor belts. 4: Failing to make available a suitable means for crossing conveyor bells.”

The second charge is from the same date and alleges that the company “failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety its employees its employees were exposed to whilst they were at work, and of the risks to the health and safety of persons not in its employment...for the purpose of identifying the measures it needed to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed upon it, namely by failing sufficiently to make a suitable and sufficient risks posed by crossing conveyor belts.”

Both alleged offences are contrary to section 33(1)(a) of, and Schedule 3A to, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

A breach of the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act regulations is a criminal offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both.