British Airways fined over £3.2m after two workers suffer brain bleed and broken back in separate falls at Heathrow

Southwark Crown Court heard that the injuries occurred in “near identical” incidents just months apart, involving the use of luggage-loading equipment without proper safety protections such as guardrails.

The first incident occurred on August 25, 2022, when Ravinder Teji, a ground operations agent, fell 1.5 metres from a televator while handling luggage from a short-haul flight. He sustained back injuries and a head wound. Prosecutor Andrew McGee told the court: “He can remember his head hitting the ground first and curling up into a recovery position.”

The second incident, on March 8, 2023, involved Shahjahan Malik, who was offloading baggage from a flight from Seattle. He fell three metres from a TLD elevator in snowy conditions, suffering what the court described as more serious injuries, including a bleed on the brain, fractured forehead, nasal bone, jaw, and ongoing headaches.

“His jaw had to be sewed shut. He was on a fluid diet for months,” Judge Brendan Finucane KC said. “He still suffers from ongoing pain and headaches from what happened to him.”

Neither man attended the sentencing on Thursday, but the judge acknowledged the lasting physical and psychological impact the incidents have had on their lives.

British Airways PLC pleaded guilty to two breaches of Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 following a criminal prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The court found the company failed to ensure "suitable and sufficient" measures were in place to protect workers using equipment such as televators, which elevate operators up to three metres above ground.

Judge Finucane said: “I am satisfied that in both incidents the culpability was high.” He imposed a £3,208,333 fine, plus £20,935 in prosecution costs and a £120 victim surcharge.

The court also heard that HSE inspectors had visited the site in March 2022 and raised concerns about significant safety gaps on the equipment. The judge described these warnings as a missed “red light” that should have prompted quicker action.

After the hearing, HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz said: “Falls from height present a real risk of death or serious, life-changing injury. Both employees are fortunate to be alive today.” “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.”

British Airways has since upgraded its equipment, including replacing older televators with models fitted with guardrails.

A BA spokesperson said: “Safety is always our highest priority, and we deeply regret that despite the measures we had in place, these incidents occurred. Having worked closely with the Health & Safety Executive, we had made changes to our procedures.”