Supermarket giants W. M. Morrison PLC have formally denied four health and safety charges arising from the death of a 27-year-old employee who fell downstairs at the company's store in Tewkesbury.

At Gloucester Crown Court yesterday (August 12) barrister Craig Fergusson, representing Morrisons, confirmed the company is pleading not guilty to charges of:

*Failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees between July 29, 2004 and September 25, 2014 and in particular over the arrangement for preventing a risk to the health of worker Matthew Gunn, who suffered from epilepsy.

*Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of employees between July 29, 2004 and September 25, 2014 and in particular over the assessment of the health and safety at work of Mr Gunn, an employee with epilepsy.

*Failure to review the risks and assessments of employees between July 29, 2004 and September 25, 2014, in particular when the company knew an assessment was no longer valid in relation to employee Mr Gunn.

*Failure to comply with a request made by an HSE inspector in exercising his powers on May 12, 2015, that between May 26, 2015 and February 26, 2020 W M Morrison Supermarkets PLC did not provide the contact details of a person the inspector was interested in.

The case concerns the death of 27-year-old Mr Gunn 12 days after his fall downstairs at the Ashchurch Road store in Tewkesbury on September 25, 2014.

The trial has been listed to start on October 4, 2021 and is expected to last two weeks.

Read more:

Dec 2020: Morrisons to stand trial following death of Tewkesbury store worker 

March 2020: Supermarket giant Morrisons to stand jury trial on health and safety charges following the death of 27 year old store worker Matt Gunn (punchline-gloucester.com)