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Pret a Manger fined £800,000 after employee got stuck in freezer

By Nithya Bose in UK Business News, posted August 31, 2023

Pret a Manger is facing an £800,000 fine after an employee was trapped inside a freezer for over two hours.

The woman endured -18°C temperatures and was only wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

She tried to use croissant boxes to stave off hypothermia.

The incident happened at the Victoria coach station store in July 2021.

She was discovered two and a half hours later, in extreme distress, with numb legs and feet, struggling to breathe.

She was treated in hospital for hypothermia.

The company said it was “incredibly sorry.”

During her ordeal, she tried to tear a cardboard box with chocolate croissants.

This was to used to create a makeshift barrier against the frigid air vent.

However, her hands were too numb to carry this out successfully.

"Critical lack of proper risk assessment"

Subsequent investigations revealed a critical lack of proper risk assessment for employees operating in temperature-controlled environments within the company.

Pret's reporting system also unveiled a history of multiple calls related to malfunctioning or frozen push buttons over the preceding 19 months.

Similarly, in January 2020, another employee became trapped in the walk-in freezer in the same remote kitchen.

It was due to a non-functioning internal door release mechanism.

Pret a Manger admitted guilt in a case contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

It was after a thorough inquiry conducted by Westminster council's health and safety team.

District Judge Neeta Minhas imposed an £800,000 fine and £23,667 in costs.

Councillor Aicha Less, deputy leader and cabinet member for communities, public protection and licensing, 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.”

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Pret a Manger 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 cooperated fully with Westminster city council’s investigation.”

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