Morrisons supermarket has been fined £3.5 million following a prosecution by Tewkesbury Borough Council for failing to ensure the health and safety of an epileptic employee who died after falling from a shop stairway.
On 25 September 2014, Matthew Gunn, 27, was using the stairs in the supermarket’s Tewkesbury store when he is believed to have had a seizure. The fall caused severe head injuries and he sadly died in hospital on 7 October 2014.
Morrisons – which was aware of Mr Gunn’s epileptic condition – was deemed to have missed opportunities to ensure his safety. It was charged with three health and safety breaches which it denied:
• Failure to ensure the health and safety of an employee who had epilepsy.
• Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the employee who had epilepsy.
• Failure to review risks to which an employee with epilepsy might be exposed.
Morrisons admitted a fourth charge of failing to supply the council with requested information relating to the death of the employee.
However, on 2 February 2023, following a three-week trial at Cirencester Courthouse, the jury found Morrisons guilty on all four charges.
Sentencing took place on 17 March. The judge placed the offences in the highest category of culpability and harm, and Morrisons was fined £3.5m.