26 Jul G4S loses appeal over £1.8m fine for Harlow safety breaches
Harlow Council has welcomed the Court of Appeals decision to refuse G4S Cash Solutions (UK) Limited permission to appeal a £1.8m fine imposed on it last year for serious water safety breaches at its Harlow branch.
G4S was given a £1.8m fine by HHJ Peters at Chelmsford Crown Court on 2 September 2016 after Harlow Council prosecuted the company for failing to protect its workers from the risk of Legionnaires’ disease.
Following a report that a Harlow resident had contracted Legionellosis, Harlow Council Environmental Health Officers carried out an inspection in October 2013 where a serious lack of compliance in maintaining water systems at the site was identified. Officers found that the monitoring and testing of systems was erratic, staff had received inadequate training, and there were no up-to-date policies or suitable and sufficient risk assessments in place to safely operate or manage the building’s water systems.
G4S did not take the steps required to reduce the risk of Legionnaires’ disease from its water systems and this was despite a long-standing duty, extensive guidance, advice from their own consultants and advice from Harlow Council.
