Pub landlords prosecuted for not protecting employees

Posted on September 27^th 2011

Two landlords at a pub in Chorley have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for continually failing to protect their employees with compulsory Employers' Liability Insurance.

The case was heard at South Ribble Magistrates' Court in Leyland where Karen Martin and her husband Stephen Martin were found guilty of employing staff at the Hinds Head pub without the proper insurance. Among the people they employed were a manager, a chef, a cleaner and various waiting staff. By not having the proper liability insurance they had no way of paying any of their employees compensation in the event of an accident or illness at work.

The court heard that the couple had been warned by the HSE on several separate occasions, prior to their prosecution, between September 2010 and February 2011, when they were made fully aware of the legal requirements for the compulsory employer's insurance.

Having ignored all of their previous warnings, they were each found guilty of three breaches of the Employers' Liability Insurance Act (1969) and fined £1,200 each, as well as additional court costs of £2,620.

Related links

HSE Press Release

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