Morrisons fined £3.5 million after supermarket worker died

A SUPERMARKET chain has been fined £3.5m after an epileptic employee died when he fell from the stairs during a seizure.

Matthew Gunn, 27, suffered catastrophic head injuries at the WM Morrisons store in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, in September 2014.

He had been regularly using the staircase to access his locker on the first floor of the shop when he suffered a seizure. Mr Gunn was fatally injured, dying in hospital 12 days later.

Bradford-based Morrisons had denied three health and safety charges, but was convicted by a jury at

Gloucester Crown Court. The company had admitted a fourth charge prior to the trial. The court heard Mr Gunn died three-and-a-half months after his mother had warned managers of the risk to her son due to his frequent seizures.

Richard Atkins KC, prosecuting, told the court WM Morrisons knew of Mr Gunn’s ill-health and should have moved his locker to the ground floor and stopped him using the stairs.

“The defendant knew of the risk posed by the stairs to Matthew Gunn,” he said. “Many in the management were aware of the frequency of the tonic-clonic seizures and the prosecution submits that by the time of the fatal failings on September 25 2014, there was a highly likely high level of harm occurring.”

Mr Gunn’s father Steve told the court in a statement his son’s death has had a devasting impact on him having to give up his job as a nurse and seeing his marriage end.

“I have been denied seeing my eldest son progress with his life. I was looking forward – especially with my impending retirement – to spending more time with Matt,” he said.

“Due to the stress and trauma of this incident my marriage failed and led to divorce. This journey I have been on has lasted over eight years now and the loss is as bad as it has always been.”

Mr Gunn’s mother Sue Goellner said her son’s death had an “enormous” impact upon her physical and mental health, and she had lost her job as a result and her marriage had ended. “My marriage came under a lot of stress and although not the only factor it was a significant factor in the divorce,” she said. “No parent should have to bury their child and his death has left a massive hole in my heart.”

The jury convicted the supermarket giant of failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees; failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of employees; and failure to review the risks and assessments of employees.

The company admitted an offence of failing to comply between May 26 2015 and February 26 2020 with a request made by an HSE inspector for contact details of a person the inspector wanted to speak to.

Passing sentence, Judge Moira Macmillan said: “The company failed to carry out a risk assessment. Morrisons fell short of the standards expected for somebody suffering from epilepsy.