JD Sports staff required frequent hospitalisation, says report

JD Sports staff at its Rochdale warehouse has seen at least 140 of its staff members sent to hospitals, a Guardian investigation reveals.

According to documents the newspaper obtained under freedom of information, ambulances visited the warehouse 166 times in the last four years, with 140 of those incidents leading to a trip to the hospital.

The warehouse employs 1500 people, including agency staff, however JD Sports stated not all ambulance dispatches have been related to workplace incidents, despite occurring during working hours.

The news follows a Channel 4 investigation last year where workers said the warehouses was “worse than a prison”. JD Sports responded the company was “deeply disappointed and concerned by the footage” and was not an accurate portrayal of the company's work culture.

“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,” the company told the Guardian.

Photo credit: JD Sports store, source: Wikipedia Commons