Freedom of information revelation follows Channel 4 News investigation where workers described site as ‘worse than a prison’

At least 140 people have been taken to hospital after incidents at JD Sports’s controversial warehouse in Rochdale in the last four years.

A freedom of information request obtained by the Guardian shows that ambulances have been dispatched to the site 166 times in the last four years, with 140 of these incidents leading to someone being transported to hospital.

The revelation comes after an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News found workers claiming that the warehouse was “worse than a prison”. JD said it was “deeply disappointed and concerned by the footage” but insisted that it did not believe it was an accurate reflection of its culture.

Lynne Brosnan, a local Labour councillor, said she was “not happy” with the new figures. About 1,500 people, including hundreds of agency staff, work at the site. This means that the equivalent of almost one in 10 workers have gone to hospital in the last four years.

The figures show that there were 18 times in 2013 when an ambulance transported someone from the site to hospital and then 52 in 2014, 34 in 2015 and 36 in 2016. The number of ambulances dispatched was 21 in 2013, 60 in 2014, 44 in 2015, and 41 in 2016.

Brosnan said: “This is not what we were promised when Kingsway [the site of the warehouse] started. There is a way of treating employees and it is not like third-class citizens.



“My concern is moving forward and making it a better place to work. It’s about caring for our residents and fighting in their corner.”

The figures are similar to the situation at Sports Direct’s warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire. Ambulances were called there 76 times between January 2013 and December 2014 according to a similar freedom of information request.

Brosnan criticised JD’s response to Channel 4’s investigation, saying: “It is about discussing the issue, it’s not about saying this didn’t happen. This is very serious.”

A spokesperson for JD Sports insisted health and safety was a “high priority” for the company.

They said: “Health and safety is a high priority and JD have invested heavily in, and are proud of, health and safety at the Kingsway facility, evidenced by our four star for occupational health and safety compliance from the British Safety Council. This includes an independent assessment of our policies, training, performance and working practices and was awarded in May 2016.

“The data presented clearly states that, despite the considerable expansion of operations at Kingsway and the considerably increased number of staff engaged, the number of ambulances called has decreased since 2014.

“There are up to 1,500 employees on site daily and the number of incidents where an ambulance is called in a year is, therefore, proportionally very low. It must also be emphasised that not all ambulance call-outs will be related to workplace incidents, and that many may relate to an employee falling ill or something unrelated to the work environment, therefore, call-outs related to incidents at work are only a proportion of the numbers quoted.

“We employ a full-time health and safety manager and currently have 60 first aiders at Kingsway, almost double the recommended number of 32, and all employees have a full health and safety briefing in their half-day induction before entering the workplace.

“They are provided with regular updates and training on health and safety matters. In addition, all line managers have mandatory enhanced health and safety training and some have undertaken the Nebosh qualification. Our health and safety committee monitors all reported accidents and incidents and takes appropriate, preventative action to try to avoid any recurrence.”