Greene King was taken to court by Wokingham Borough Council, and charged with one count of employer breach to the general duty to the employee after an accident that took place in the Six Bells, Shinfield, Berkshire.
According to the Bracknell News, after the pub’s boiler broke in 2014, a tea urn was used as a temporary solution. It is reported that staff were told to carry scalding water across the kitchen to the sink "using cloths to cover their hands".
Greene King confirmed that evidence read out at a hearing at Reading Crown Court on 17 November revealed a staff member, while carrying out this process, stumbled and soaked waiter's Aaron Large’s legs and feet, "scaring him for life".
Sincere apologises
Greene King was ordered to pay a fine of £140,000, plus an additional £10,000 in costs.
The pubco, which admitted breaching the health and safety regulation at an earlier date, has six weeks to pay the full amount.
A spokesperson for the Six Bells told The Morning Advertiser: “Despite all our health and safety precautions it is extremely unfortunate that this accident took place.
"We have been in contact with the victim to sincerely apologise and treated it very seriously."
The spokesperson added: “The safety and wellbeing of our team members is a top priority and we are confident this highly unusual incident will not happen again.”
Food-hygiene offences
Last month, another Greene King pub was fined £140,000 for a slew of food hygiene offences at its pub the Twynersh, including having dirty equipment and not providing adequate materials for staff to clean their hands.
A representative from the pubco pleaded guilty to the hygiene offences discovered by Runnymede Borough Council's environmental health officers during three visits last year.
Wokingham Borough Council has been contacted but did not respond by the time of publication.