• Mykhalio Hustei, 35, had been working and living on the site.
• He fell down an exposed excavation hole after returning from a night out.
• Company only made site safe after his tragic death.

A construction company has been fined after a man drowned when he fell into an exposed excavation hole described as a ‘death trap’, at a building site in Hertfordshire.

Mykhalio Hustei had been working for Alchemist DB Limited as a labourer on a project building several flats on the High Street in Bovingdon. The 35-year-old had been living in a property adjoining the site when he attempted to make his way home from a night out on 22 October 2021. However, as he tried to access his own home he fell into one of the exposed excavation holes that was filled with rainwater. His body wasn’t found until around 2pm the following day.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Alchemist DB Limited had been acting as a contractor to build the flats as part of a family-run property development business. New excavation foundations had been dug for the building footings. However, they were crisscrossing the construction site without any designated safe walkways.

The investigation also found the company had failed to take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of those moving around and working at the site. At best, large boards and planks were used as bridges over excavations. The boards and planks were slippery and bowed when walked across. The site was also open to the weather, making it highly likely it would be slippery after rain, increasing the risk to those at site. There was also no dedicated lighting to the site and the boards and planks didn’t have handrails and weren’t secured.

The company only made the site safe after HSE inspectors visited the site following Mr Hustei’s death and took enforcement action. This included them installing dedicated walkways bridging over exposed excavations using scaffolding framework to prevent falls.

HSE guidance clearly states that no work should take place until all excavations are made safe. This includes protecting the edges of excavations with substantial barriers where people are liable to fall into them. Our guidance on excavation is available at hse.gov.uk.

Alchemist DB Limited of Devonshire House, Manor Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, were sentenced in absence for breaching Regulation 22(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £5,000 costs at a hearing in Luton Magistrates Court on 29 May 2026.  Since the incident, the company is now in liquidation.

HSE inspector Rauf Ahmed said:

“As always, our thoughts remain with the family of Mr Hustei, a young man who was just setting out on his career in construction.

“He had been simply returning to his flat after socialising with friends.

“However, the site was quite literally a death trap.

“The measures put in place by the company after his tragic death are a crude reminder about what could and should have been done in the first place.

“We will always take action against those who fail to protect people from risk.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Edward Parton and paralegal officer Rebecca Forman.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance on excavation is available at hse.gov.uk
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Joiner suffered a complete spinal cord injury after falling through an unsecured skylight opening.
• Principal contractor failed to properly plan, manage and monitor the roof work.
• Worker found by his son, the only other person present on site.

A mechanical and engineering construction company based in Manchester has been fined after a joiner suffered life-changing injuries when he fell through a skylight opening while carrying out work on a domestic property in Altrincham.

Adam Kirkpatrick had been subcontracted by JLM Solutions Limited to construct the timber frame for a new roof. On 22 November 2023, the 53-year-old was walking across a piece of plyboard that had been placed over roof light openings in the roof structure. The board had not been secured and gave way beneath him, causing him to fall from height.

Mr Kirkpatrick’s son was the only other person present on site at the time of the incident, after the rest of the workforce had left for the day. He called an ambulance, and Mr Kirkpatrick was taken to hospital, where he was found to have suffered multiple injuries including a head injury, fractured ribs, a fractured sternum and a complete spinal cord injury. He is now paralysed from the waist down.

He said: “I have worked in the construction industry since leaving school. I loved my job.

“I have always been able to provide for my family. Before the accident my wife had gone part time and we were making plans for retirement and spending more time with our grandchildren. This all changed due to the accident.

“It has gone from me being provider for the family to having to rely on other people.

“This accident has impacted my health. I have no feeling below my belly button, I suffer with severe nerve pain and have to self-catheter.

“Only for the NHS I wouldn’t be here today — they have saved my life.”

Mr Kirkpatrick’s wife Julie said: “On the day I was told that Adam would never walk again our world was turned upside down.

“Adam just loved to work. He lived for what he did and did it all for his family.

“It breaks my heart that Adam will never chase after his grandchildren again. He will never be able to play football with the boys or dance with his granddaughter. Everything my husband worked so hard for was to enjoy retirement and spend time with his grandchildren. That dream has been shattered since the accident.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that JLM Solutions Limited, acting as the principal contractor, failed to properly plan, manage and monitor the roof work. The company did not ensure suitable measures and equipment were in place to prevent or protect against falls from height and there was a lack of adequate site supervision during the work.

HSE guidance states that good management of health and safety in construction is crucial to the successful delivery of a construction project and principal contractors have an important role in managing the risks of construction work.

Principal contractors must plan, manage and monitor the construction phase and ensure subcontractors have effective preventative and protective measures in place, alongside appropriate supervision, Guidance on health and safety management in construction can be found here: Managing health and safety in construction. Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Guidance on regulations L153

HSE also has detailed guidance on how to plan and carry out work at height safely which highlights the important of using suitable work equipment and implementing effective control measures to prevent falls available here: Health and safety in roof work.

JLM Solutions Limited, of Elliott Street, Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,850 and a victim surcharge of £2,000 at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 26 May 2026.

HSE Inspector Karen Farley said: “Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of workplace death and serious injury. The risks are well known throughout the construction industry.

“This prosecution highlights the importance of properly managing work at height activities. Had suitable control measures been implemented, such as a safe working platform combined with appropriate supervision, this incident would not have occurred and Mr Kirkpatrick would not have sustained these significant life-changing injuries.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Benjamin Stobbart.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Work at height – HSE
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Company failed to provide hot water and suitable rest facilities.
• Failures continued despite HSE taking action.
• Provision of suitable welfare facilities is legal requirement.

A West Midlands based construction company has been fined after Britain’s workplace regulator found repeated failures at four different construction sites across the region.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection at Ling Developments Limited’s construction site at The Crest, Oldbury Park, Telford in April 2024 identified health and safety failings related to a lack of adequate welfare provision. This included the failure to provide hot or warm water in the toilets and a lack of suitable rest facilities for workers. The inspection resulted in two improvement notices being served, requiring the company to take action to comply with the law.

On three previous occasions, the company had been found to have breached the same legislation. An investigation, initiated by HSE, identified repeated failings by the company which, despite enforcement action and advice from HSE inspectors, continued to provide sub-standard facilities that contravened their legal duties.

Under The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, principal contractors have a duty to provide specific welfare facilities for construction sites. Washing facilities must include:

• A supply of clean hot and cold or warm water;
• Rest facilities must be equipped with an adequate number of tables and seating;
• Suitable arrangements to ensure meals can be prepared and eaten.

Further guidance can be found here: Welfare: Overview – HSE

Ling Developments Limited of Maypole House, Maypole Street, Wombourne, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 13 (4)(c) of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £15,858 and ordered to pay £3,858 in costs at a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 13 April 2026.

HSE Inspector Natalie Spurrier said:

“The provision of suitable welfare facilities such as hot running water and basic rest facilities are the minimum all workers should expect – they aren’t a luxury.

“Our investigation found that Ling Developments Limited failed in its duty to provide the minimum standard of welfare facilities at some of its construction sites.

“Failing to comply with legal obligations such as in cases like this, places workers at unnecessary risk.

“We expect these responsibilities to be taken seriously and HSE will continue to take action when standards fall short.”

The HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and supported by HSE paralegal officer Lynne Thomas.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here: Welfare: Overview.
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Worker suffered multiple serious injuries after falling from ladder during refurbishment project.
• HSE investigation found there was no safe system of work for working at height.
• Company had previously been served with a Prohibition Notice for unsafe work at height.

A construction company has been fined after a worker sustained serious injuries when he fell from a ladder during renovation works in London.

On 5 August 2021, the worker was engaged on a refurbishment project in Islington for Bow Tie Construction Limited. The project involved converting an existing domestic property and a former handbag factory into a single dwelling.

As part of the works, a new concrete staircase was to be installed between the ground and first floors. Temporary timber formwork was required to construct the staircase.

The worker, along with two others, had been instructed by company director and acting site manager Rafael Delimata to build the formwork. While standing on the top of a stepladder and using a gas-powered nail gun, the worker fell approximately 1.65 metres to the floor below.

He sustained multiple serious injuries, including crush injuries to both elbows requiring several surgeries, a fractured forearm, dislocated wrists, and injuries to his right leg and left knee.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Bow Tie Construction Limited had failed to implement a safe system of work for working at height during the construction of the staircase.

The investigation also identified wider failings in the management of work at height on site, including inadequate edge protection, incorrectly assembled tower scaffolds, staircases without edge protection, and uncontrolled use of ladders. These failings continued despite a previous HSE visit on 2 July 2021, during which a Prohibition Notice had been served for unsafe work at height.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death. HSE has detailed guidance on how to plan and carry out work at height safely, including the importance of selecting appropriate equipment and ensuring suitable supervision. These can be found on our website: Construction – Work at height – HSE.

Bow Tie Construction Limited, of Cliveden Office Village, Lancaster Road, High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay £4,101 in costs at Southwark Crown Court on 13 February 2026.

HSE Inspector Emma Bitz said:

“The risks associated with working at height are well known, and this incident could have easily been prevented.

“Employers must ensure suitable control measures are in place, safe working practices are followed, and workers are provided with appropriate supervision.

“Failure to do so can result in life-changing injuries, as this case clearly demonstrates.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz and paralegal officer Melissa Wardle.

Further information: 

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Construction – Work at height – HSE
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Worker critically injured after wall collapsed into excavation.
• Temporary works were not designed, planned or managed.
• HSE guidance on temporary works is available.

A construction company has been fined £100,000 after a steel-fixer was seriously injured when a newly built blockwork wall collapsed at a site in Poole.

Matrod Frampton Limited pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Friday 5 December 2025 after the incident left 69-year-old Patrick Grant with life-changing injuries.

The court heard how the breeze block wall had been back-filled too early, before the mortar had properly set. The wall collapsed while Mr Grant was working nearby, crushing him against the concrete floor of the excavation.

The incident happened on 19 August 2022 at the company’s site on Old Coast Guard’s Road, Poole. Mr Grant and two colleagues had started work at the lower level of the excavation when the wall at the north end gave way at around 8.30am.

Emergency services attended the scene, but there was no emergency rescue plan in place. The use of an unstable ladder to access the deep excavation delayed rescue efforts, and Mr Grant had to be hoisted out by the fire and rescue service before being airlifted to hospital.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Matrod Frampton Limited had failed to properly assess a foreseeable risk associated with temporary works on site.

The investigation identified that there was no temporary works design for the blockwork wall, nor for any other temporary work structures at the site. The company had failed to appoint either a temporary works coordinator or a temporary works supervisor, despite this being highlighted as a serious concern in a safety report issued eight days before the incident.

Temporary works on construction sites include trenches, excavations, temporary slopes and stockpiles, formwork, falsework, propping, shoring, edge protection, scaffolding, site fencing and signage.

Without a temporary works procedure in place, groundworkers backfilled the wall prematurely, leading directly to its collapse.

Matrod Frampton Limited, of Riverside Park, Wimborne, Dorset, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 13(1) and 19(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £8,242 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 5 December 2025.

After the hearing HSE inspector, Alexander Ashen, said: “The correct design and execution of temporary works is an essential element of risk prevention in construction.

“This incident illustrates what can happen when temporary works are not properly organised. Matrod Frampton Limited is an established construction company, and a temporary works procedure should have been implemented as a matter of course.

“The fact that the company’s own health and safety consultants raised this issue eight days before the incident makes this wholly avoidable event all the more tragic.

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to properly plan and manage serious risks on construction sites.”

Guidance on temporary works is available on the HSE website.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers, Iain Jordan and Rowena Goodwin, and paralegal Officer, Hannah Snelling.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Guidance on temporary works can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/temporary-works.htm
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Company cut corners to speed up roof repair work.
• Man fell through fragile skylight.
• Despite incident, company carried on with the job the day after.

A construction company in Hampshire has been fined £80,000 after a man fell more than 15 feet through a fragile skylight during roof repair work.

The 29-year-old sub-contractor sustained multiple fractures as a result of his fall at The Tanneries Industrial Estate in January 2024.  As a result, he was unable to work for months, and has not regained full use of one leg.

J Smith Construction Services Limited had started the roof repairs at the site in Titchfield in December 2023, but the work had been progressing slowly.  In an attempt to speed up the project, the company planned to work over the weekend of 13-14 January 2024 and took on extra workers to help, including the sub-contractor.

The company did not arrange for scaffolding to be erected at the open edges of the roof, nor make adequate arrangements to prevent or mitigate falls through fragile areas of the roof.  As there was nothing to prevent or reduce his fall through the skylight, the man fell from the height of the roof to the solid floor below.

Despite this serious incident, J Smith Construction Services and the remaining sub-contractors returned to complete the work the following day, with no additional safety measures in place.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height, working safely at height including roof work. Health and safety in roof work

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of the workers on the roof.

J Smith Construction Services Limited of Southampton, pleaded guilty to breaching The Work at Height Regulations 2005, Regulation 6(3).  The company was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,630 at a hearing at Southampton Magistrates Court on 4 December 2025.

Company director, Mr Joseph Smith, who had been present throughout the works, pleaded guilty to Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, s.37(1). At the same court hearing, he was given a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay costs of £2,630.

After the hearing, a HSE spokesperson said: “These sentences should send a clear message to employers that HSE and the courts take a failure to comply with health and safety legislation extremely seriously.

“Too many workers are injured or killed every year as a result of falls from height during construction work. These incidents can be prevented if reasonably practicable measures such as scaffolding or netting are put in place to protect workers.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Karen Park and paralegal Helen Hugo.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in Scotland can be found here.

• Worker died after falling through unprotected skylight opening at domestic property.
• Company failed to take measures to prevent falls from height.
• HSE reminds employers of guidance for safe working at height.

Skyladder Construction Limited has been fined £33,500 after a man died when he fell through a skylight opening at a domestic property.

The company was constructing a single-storey extension with a flat roof at a property in Farnborough. On the evening of 20 July 2022, it began to rain, and the company director and an employee returned to the site at approximately 11pm to cover the new roof with a blue plastic tarpaulin, securing it with logs of wood.

Bhakta Rai accompanied the employee to the site that evening. At some point, Mr Rai went onto the roof to assist and fell through a hole intended for a skylight, falling approximately 2.5 metres onto the concrete floor below.

In an attempt to recover Mr Rai, he was lifted back through the roof opening, carried across the roof, and then brought down a ladder at the front of the property. No ambulance was called, and Mr Rai was transported to hospital in a van. He died a few days later after sustaining significant injuries, including a spinal fracture, fractured skull, possible bleed on the brain, and swelling to the head.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) attended the scene on 21 July 2022. Between the police leaving the site (at around 4am) and the HSE’s arrival later that day, the tarpaulin had been replaced, covering the roof.

An HSE investigation found that Skyladder Construction Limited failed to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as was reasonably practicable, any person from falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. There were no physical measures in place at the edges of the building or around the skylight openings to prevent a fall, and no measures to mitigate the distance or impact of a fall.

Skyladder Construction Limited also contravened a requirement imposed by an HSE inspector. During the investigation, HSE requested information from the company under Section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which it is an offence not to provide. No response was received.

HSE guidance sets out measures for planning and carrying out work at height safely. It includes practical controls that can be implemented to remove or reduce the risk of a fall. Following this guidance would have identified the risks from the unprotected roof and shown that the risk could have been eliminated entirely by changing how the work was undertaken. Further guidance can be found here: Work at height – HSE.

Skyladder Construction Limited, of 8 Harbour Close, Farnborough, GU14 8HT, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Section 33(1)(e) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for failing to provide information requested under Section 20 of the Act.

The company was fined £33,500, ordered to pay £8,472 in costs, and a £2,000 victim surcharge at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on 31 October 2025.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Jenny Morris said:

“Falls when working at height remain the most common kind of workplace fatality, accounting for around a quarter of all worker deaths. In this case, this was a wholly avoidable incident — Mr Rai died in a fall which should never have been able to happen.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Rebecca Schwartz and Paralegal Officer Helen Hugo.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Work at height – HSE https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

A team of inspectors from Britain’s workplace regulator are heading to Manchester city centre as part of its priority to tackle ill-health on construction sites.

The 12 inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will head to the city next Tuesday (21 October). They will turn up without warning at various businesses and sites to look at their management of health and safety risks, with particular emphasis on the following:

• Asbestos
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Noise
• Health surveillance
• Dust

These inspections in Manchester are part of 14,000 HSE is completing nationwide during the current financial year, with around 8,000 of those focusing on health.

HSE principal inspector Kevin Jones, one of those leading the team, said: “We’ll be checking that businesses have the right measures in place to ensure health risks are being managed and that workers are being kept safe.

“Manchester is home to some of the biggest construction projects in the country, however all sizes of sites will be inspected.

“By its nature, construction is a high hazard industry. It can be noisy and dusty, with people often working at height and around heavy machinery and vehicles.”

The construction industry has higher-than-average rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injury rates. Previous HSE inspections around Great Britain have also found that three-quarters of noisy workplaces lacked essential knowledge on maintaining hearing protection equipment. Workers in skilled trades are also at particular risk of discovering and disturbing asbestos when working on properties built before 2000.

“These inspections are really important in HSE’s mission to protect people at work,” Kevin Jones added.

“As well as checking on companies, we want to work with them, explaining what they should be doing to get everything right.

“We hope that our presence in the city next week will reassure both the public and those working in the industry, that we will do all we can to ensure people go home safely at the end of the day.

“We need to see that there are good control measures in place and that the health and safety of workers is at the top of the agenda for everyone.

“We look forward to working with site managers and employers to ensure they are doing what’s required.”

More information on what employers should be doing can be found at www.hse.gov.uk.

HSE’s campaign site also has simple, practical advice available for:

• Tradespeople: Asbestos & You
• Those with the duty to manage asbestos in buildings: Asbestos – Your Duty

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Worker struck by reversing road-sweeper
• Family describes Robert Morris as “the centre of our world”
• HSE guidance is available on safe use of vehicles on site

A construction company that specialises in road resurfacing in London has been fined £546,000 after one of its employees was killed by a reversing road-sweeper.

Robert Morris, 48, was working on the resurfacing of Pemberton Road in Haringey for Marlborough Highways Limited on 30 May 2022. A colleague was at the wheel of the vehicle and Robert was struck while it was reversing.

A joint investigation was launched between the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Metropolitan Police. The police submitted evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) leading to a separate prosecution, which resulted in the driver being given a suspended prison sentence.

The HSE investigation identified a number of failings. There was no segregation between people and moving vehicles on site and a banksman was not used when the road sweeper reversed and struck Mr Morris. The traffic management systems in place at the site were inadequate and unsafe, placing employees and members of the public at risk of serious injury and death.

The majority of construction transport accidents result from the inadequate segregation of pedestrians and vehicles. This can usually be avoided by careful planning, particularly at the design stage, and by controlling vehicle operations during construction work.

The safe use of vehicles on construction sites: A guide for clients, designers, contractors, managers and workers involved with construction transport – HSE provides detailed guidance on the importance of a safe site and the segregation of people and vehicles.

Marlborough Highways Limited of Woolf House Eagle Way, Chelmsford Garden, Chelmsford pleaded guilty to Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at the first opportunity. The company was fined £546,000 , with full costs awarded in the sum of £6,028, at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 3 October 2025.

In the separate CPS case, Jamie Smith, 46, from Essex, who was also an employee of the company, was prosecuted for an offence of causing death by careless driving contrary to section 2B of the Road Traffic Act 1988. He pleaded guilty and in February 2024, at Wood Green Crown Court, he was sentenced to a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and disqualified from driving for one year.

HSE principal inspector James Goldfinch said: “Our thoughts are with Robert’s family, described by his widow as ‘the centre of our world’. She says his children are ‘sad and angry and cheated of so much of their future’.

“Robert was entitled to return home safely from work to his family but the lack of segregation of vehicles and pedestrians by Marlborough Highways Limited meant he did not.

“This was a case where appropriate controls had been identified but were not being implemented on site.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE’s Enforcement Lawyer Samantha Wells, with the assistance of Paralegal Melissa Wardle.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here The safe use of vehicles on construction sites: A guide for clients, designers, contractors, managers and workers involved with construction transport – HSE.
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Workers put at risk of serious injury.
• Inspector slams contractor for showing “complete contempt” for workers’ safety
• HSE guidance is available on safe working from height and demolition.

A London contractor has been given a suspended prison sentence after risking the lives of workers and ignoring action taken by Britain’s workplace regulator.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ordered Mohammed Mehdi Ali to stop working at a construction site in Willesden on 7 September 2018. Inspectors visited the Willesden Lane site and found unplanned, unsupervised and unsafe work was putting people at serious risk of injury.

Workers had been identified working on the roof area where they were at serious risk of falling from a height as no measures to protect them were in place. Unplanned and unsafe demolition work had also left the building structure at risk of collapse.

Despite the prohibition notice being served against him, Mr Ali ignored it and the work continued as before, putting the lives of those working on the site at risk. Mr Ali, of Barn Hill in Wembley, also failed to turn up at court to face justice in 2021 and as a result a warrant was issued for his arrest. It was only thanks to intelligence from the local community that the police arrested him and the court proceedings could finally resume. He has now been given a suspended 20-week custodial sentence and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Not only did the HSE investigation find that Mr Ali disregarded the prohibition notice, but also that he failed to put in place measures to ensure the health and safety of people at his construction site.

The law requires employers to carry out their legal duty to protect persons’ health and safety at the workplace by ensuring that construction work is adequately planned, managed, and monitored and appropriately supervised.

Falls from height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height. In law, demolition work is treated the same as any other construction work. Workers must be supervised and follow safe working practices. HSE guidance on demolition is available.

Mr Ali pleaded guilty to committing an offence under s33(1)(g) of HSWA by breaching a prohibition notice and continuing to carry on the work without suitable and sufficient measures in place thereby exposing his workers to serious risk of personal injury. He was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work as well as 10 days of rehabilitation. He was also ordered to pay £12,151 in costs at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 7 October 2025.

HSE inspector Saif Deen said: “Mr Ali not only ignored HSE and the criminal justice system, he showed complete contempt for the safety of workers.

“The law requires employees to ensure the health and safety of persons at their workplace. Employers have a responsibility to ensure that everyone on a building site is safe.

“We will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to comply with HSE enforcement and continue to put their workers at risk.

“Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace death and injury.

“We would like to thank the local community for ensuring justice was done, which helps to keep people safe.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes and paralegal officer David Shore.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England can be found here and those for Scotland here.