Pret A Manger fined £800k after an employee got stuck in a freezer

The worker was stuck inside the walk-in freezer for two and a half hours.

Pret a Manger pleaded guilty to a health and safety offence at Westminster Magistrates' Court and was fined £800k after an employee was stuck in a walk-in freezer for two and a half hours, a report by BBC said.

On 29 July 2021, a worker became trapped in the freezer at Pret a Manger’s Victoria coach station shop. The employee was found by a colleague in a state of distress

Investigation revealed that there was no suitable risk assessment conducted. Pret’s own reporting system also revealed that there have been several call-outs relating to defective or frozen push buttons.

"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 co-operated fully with Westminster City Council's investigation,” a Pret a Manger spokesperson said.