A company in Salford has been fined £160,000 after a worker fractured his skull during the refurbishment of a property in central Manchester.
Dean Noble, from Wythenshawe, fell while working at a premises on Oldham Street on 11 December 2020.
The 53-year-old had fallen through a gap in the balustrade that was erected around an opening on the ground floor and landed in the basement three metres below.
Mr Noble sustained multiple fractures to his skull and femur and has been unable to return to work since the incident. He says his life has completely changed since the incident and now relies heavily on his wife Karen.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Cubicworks Ltd, the principal contractor for the refurbishment, had failed to ensure there was adequate edge protection in place to prevent falls in the ground floor area where Mr Noble fell.
In this particular incident suitable guard rails or barriers should have been in place. Employers must assess the risk from work at height and go on to organise and plan the work, so it is carried out safely. HSE has guidance when working at height: Construction – Working at height industry health & safety (hse.gov.uk)
Mr Noble said in his victim personal statement: “My life has totally changed. Before the accident, I was very active, I worked away a lot and as part of my job I was up and down ladders installing security cameras which I had done for 25 years.
“Prior to the accident, I used to play five-a-side football at least once a week with my mates and I played golf a couple of times a month with my friends. As I’m unable to play these sports, my social life has a changed a lot.
“Everyday things, like making a cup of tea, requires me to concentrate. I can read text messages and letters, but I can’t retain that information so I have to rely on Karen to read them and write them down in the diary. I rely on Karen to help me to function on a day-to-day basis.”
Cubicworks Ltd, of Spinnaker Court, Broadway, Salford, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £160,000 and ordered to pay £3,815.85 in costs at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 28 February 2024.
HSE inspector David Norton said: “This was a very serious incident, and it is fortunate nobody was killed as a result.
“The incident highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities, and the need to ensure suitable and sufficient control measures are implemented to minimise the risk of serious personal injury. Principal contractors must ensure such control measures are in place throughout the duration of the work.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jonathan Bambro.
Notes to editors:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
- More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
- Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.