British Airways fined over £3 million after two workers seriously injured in falls at Heathrow
British Airways has been fined more than £3 million after two members of staff sustained serious injuries in separate incidents at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5.
The airline was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into both incidents, which occurred while employees were unloading baggage from aircraft.
The first incident took place on 25 August 2022, when a 54-year-old worker slipped from an elevator—a type of mobile platform—while unloading baggage containers.
He fell 1.5 metres and suffered serious back and head injuries, including a fractured vertebra.
An HSE investigation found that a hazardous gap existed between the elevator's guardrails and the aircraft fuselage.
These gaps varied depending on the aircraft model, and were made worse after the platforms had been extended without additional safety measures being introduced.
British Airways had begun retrofitting extendable guardrails to its elevators following previous HSE visits, but this work had not been completed at the time of the incident. It was only finalised afterwards.
The second incident occurred on 8 March 2023, when a 43-year-old employee fell three metres while unloading baggage from a flight arriving from Seattle. He suffered head injuries, including a fractured jaw and bleeding on the brain, and required several months off work.
Again, investigators found a failure to properly extend the operator platform on the elevator, creating a dangerous gap.
Flaps on the platform were also folded down during the unloading process, which increased the risk of a fall.
At Southwark Crown Court on 15 May 2025, British Airways PLC pleaded guilty to two charges under Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
The airline was fined £1.33 million for the August 2022 incident and £1.875 million for the March 2023 fall. It was also ordered to pay £20,935 in legal costs.
HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz, who led the prosecution, said: "Falls from height present a real risk of death or serious, life-changing injury. Both employees are fortunate to be alive today.
"The risks of working at height and the necessary control measures are well established – in these cases, adequate guardrails would have significantly reduced the risk of harm.
"This was a reasonably foreseeable risk that British Airways should have been aware of and therefore it should have done more to protect its employees."
HSE inspections at Heathrow have previously highlighted safety concerns involving manual handling, equipment maintenance and working at height, prompting action from airlines and ground handling operators.
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