Hugo Boss fined £1.2 million for Health & Safety breaches

In June 2015 we reported that Hugo Boss were being taken to court for two Health & Safety failings which resulted in a four year old boy’s death, after an 18 stone mirror fell on him while in a store at Bicester Village.

Following Health & Safety investigations the judge has ruled that Hugo Boss would have to pay £1.1 million for offences under the Health & Safety Act and £100,000 for offences under the Management of Health and Safety regulations.

The investigation found that the mirror had been designed to be fitted to a reinforced wall with clear instructions of how to fit it. However, in the store the mirror was left balancing on the floor which was completely unsafe and an accident was inevitable.

Why was the fine so severe?

Investigators discovered that this was not an isolated Health & Safety incident and that there were multiple examples of when mirrors had not been fitted correctly and were left in a dangerous state.

This negligence played as prominent role when the judge was deciding the size of the fine.

The thoughts of our Health & Safety expert

Our Health & Safety expert, Steve Noyce discusses the importance of putting Health & Safety at the centre of your business on a daily basis.

“This case highlights the need for employers to assess the risks of falling objects in the workplace and put into place suitable controls to protect workers and members of the public from being harmed.

Where there are risks of objects, e.g. products, display items falling, these should be made secure (or removed) by competent and trained staff and regularly checked to ensure the risks are minimised.”