DP World Southampton fined £1m after fall sees employee sustain “life-changing” injuries

Christopher Hooper suffered fractures to his skull, back, pelvis, arm, wrist and ankle as a result of the fall at DP World Southampton’s terminal (pictured) on 20 September 2022.

The 31-year-old, from Winchester, fell through an open hole in the driver’s cab of a straddle carrier, landing on the concrete floor below.

The hole had been created by contractors that were replacing a glass floor, exposing Hooper and other workers to the risk of falling from height.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Hooper’s employer, Southampton Container Terminals Limited, failed to ensure there was a safe system of work at its site on Western Avenue.

Hooper, who had worked for Southampton Container Terminals Limited since he was 17, had been undertaking routine maintenance work and was unaware of the open hole before falling onto the floor.

The HSE investigation found Southampton Container Terminals Limited had failed to ensure there was a system of work that ensured that routine maintenance work could be carried out safely at the same time as the replacement of the glass floor.

The company also failed to ensure there was a risk assessment in place and failed to implement its own policy for the use of permits to work whilst working at height.

Hooper, who was 29 at the time of the incident, said in his victim personal statement: “I feel like a puppet in my life, who is being moved from therapy to therapy with no control over where I am going.

”It feels like my life is in a waiting room, early out of hospital I had closer milestones that felt achievable, whereas now no one can tell me what I can do next and that is really impacting my day-to-day life, as I don’t know what the rest of my life will look like.”

Southampton Container Terminals Limited, of Palace Street, Westminster, London pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1m and ordered to pay £11,664.59 in costs at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on 2 August 2024.

HSE inspector Francesca Arnold said: “This incident has resulted in severe life-changing injuries for Mr Hooper, who is lucky to be alive. His life has completely changed because of Southampton Container Terminals Limited’s failure to produce a suitable risk assessment and implement straightforward control measures.

“The hazards of working at height are well known and documented and this prosecution should now remind employers that a failure to manage and implement effective measures can have serious consequences and they will be held accountable for this failure. Information on working at height safely is freely available on HSE’s website.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Andy Siddall and supported by HSE paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

A spokesperson for DP World Southampton said: “Keeping people safe is the absolute priority for everyone at DP World Southampton and we fully understand the impact that this incident has had on the worker affected and shall continue to do everything we can to support him.

“Our commitment to safety is evidenced by our track record and in particular the consistent enhancement in our Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) over the last 15 years, the result of a substantial investment in safety training, awareness, and infrastructure.

“Although it was formally acknowledged in this case that our efforts to make people safer were a mitigating factor, regrettably we fell short of meeting our high safety standards this time.

“We would like to make it clear that we have reviewed our operational systems and procedures and updated them as necessary to avoid any future incidents of a similar nature. We are confident that our dedicated team at DP World Southampton will continue to make progress in setting and maintaining the highest standards of safety in the industry.”