National pub chain company JD Wetherspoon has been fined more than £8,400 after an accident at its pub in Blackwood.
In March last year at The Sirhowy, in High Street, a member of staff suffered heavy bruising when pots of paint fell on him through a plasterboard ceiling.
Thirteen large pots, with varying amounts of paint in them, were being stored on the suspended ceiling when they crashed through the plasterboard and on to the staff member.
After an investigation, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Environmental Health team brought a prosecution after it was felt the company broke health and safety laws.
The case was heard at Caerphilly Magistrates Court on Monday where the company admitted three separate charges.
They were failing to ensure safety and the absence of risks to health in connection with the use and storage of articles, failing to monitor preventative and protective measures and failing to prevent an employee working on or above a fragile surface.
JD Wetherspoon PLC was ordered to pay a total of £8,429.54 within 28 days as magistrates imposed a fine of £7,500, with costs of £914.54 and a victim surcharge of £15.
Councillor Lyn Ackerman, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We take all reports of accidents reported to the council very seriously and investigate them thoroughly.
“Although in this case the employee was not seriously hurt, the investigation identified serious deficiencies with the company’s policies. I am pleased that the court has reflected this in the fine”.
A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon said: “This is obviously a very regrettable incident and Wetherspoon aim to ensure the safety of its staff and customers at all times.
“However in this particular incident a member of staff was injured, which was distressing to himself and to the company, and we will redouble our efforts to make sure this kind of accident doesn’t happen again.”