• Man fell through fragile roof light.
• He had to be rescued by firefighters after becoming impaled.
• HSE guidance about working at height is available.

Two companies have been fined after a man fell through a fragile rooflight at a factory in Keighley, impaling his leg on machinery below.

A.T. Lee Properties Limited and LJH Property Limited were fined a combined total of more than £95,000 following a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Directors for each firm were also given conditional discharges and ordered to pay prosecution costs.

The man suffered leg injuries after falling at Cirteq Ltd, Hayfield Mills, Colne Road, Glusburn in Keighley, on 8 July 2022.

He had been over-cladding an existing asbestos cement roof with two other operatives when he stepped onto a fragile rooflight, causing him to fall through and narrowly miss a machine operator working below. Firefighters were called to assist in rescuing the worker, who had landed on machinery, impaling his leg. Despite the horrific circumstances, he sustained relatively minor injuries.

The HSE investigation found that principal contractor A.T. Lee Properties Limited failed to ensure the works were properly planned, and that neither they nor their sub-contractor, LJH Property Limited, had effective preventative and protective measures in place to control the risks associated with roof work. They also failed to ensure that the correct equipment and tools were in place to undertake the work safely.

Sub-contractor LJH Property Limited failed to properly plan, supervise, or ensure the work was carried out safely, and its assessment of the risks arising from the work was both unsuitable and insufficient.

HSE has guidance for those planning work at height and how it can be carried out safely, including the preventative measures required is available. Introduction to working at height safely – HSE.

Further guidance is available for those undertaking the role of a Principal Contractor – Principal contractors: roles and responsibilities – HSE.

A.T. Lee Properties Limited, of Leardene House, Draughton, Skipton, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £47,783 and ordered to pay £2,386 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 1 October 2025.

Company director Neil Cryer pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the same Act. He received a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £2,369 in costs.

LJH Property Limited, of  Moorfield Drive, Baildon, Shipley pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Act. The company was fined £47,818 and ordered to pay £2,518 in costs.

Company director Luke Hudson pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the same Act. He received a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £2,369 in costs.

HSE principal inspector Paul Thompson, who investigated the incident, said:

“People working on the roof and those working below within the factory were placed at serious risk. Had the man just a short distance either side of where he was impaled, this could have been a wholly different outcome.

“Work at height continues to be the leading cause of workplace fatalities, and had this work been planned, managed, and monitored to a sufficient standard by all parties involved, then this incident should not have occurred.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Jonathan Bambro, supported by HSE 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. 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.

• Man fell from height due to lack of edge protection.
• Second time HSE action against sole trader.
• HSE guidance on working safely at height is available.

A worker suffered serious injuries after falling from a flat roof that did not have any edge protection.

A sole trader has been fined following a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

It was the second time Gary Smith, trading as GJ Smith Roofing, had failed to provide edge protection on a job, with HSE previously taking enforcement action against him.

Smith pleaded guilty following the incident on 15 December 2022, when a team of roofers and labourers were working on his behalf, replacing a flat roof on a house in the Luton area.

At around 11am, one of the workers was carrying large wooden boards across the roof, when he inadvertently stepped off the edge of the roof falling a distance of about 10 feet. He suffered a fractured vertebrate in his back and a broken ankle.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height.

The HSE investigation found the task had not been properly risk assessed and planned which meant that edge protection around the flat roof had not been put in place, despite it being reasonably practicable to do so.  Following HSE intervention, edge protection was installed before work re-commenced.

Gary Smith of Watling Street, Dunstable, pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 4(1) of the Work At Height Regulations 2005.  He was fined £2,125 and ordered to pay costs of £5,445 at a hearing at Luton & South Bedfordshire Magistrates’ Court on 29 July 2025.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Tim Nicholson said: “Clearly Mr Smith hadn’t learnt from his previous failures.

“Sadly, this latest offence resulted in a man being seriously injured.

“What makes this incident even more frustrating is the fact it could so easily have been avoided by properly planning the task and ensuring that suitable edge protection had been put in place prior to work starting.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Julian White 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. 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 and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
5. HSE guidance about working safely on roofs is available.

A Herefordshire-based conservatory manufacturer and installation company has been fined £40,000 after an employee fell through the roof of a first-floor orangery home extension.

Leslie Baker was one of several employees of Atrium Conservatories Limited, working to install an orangery extension covering the footprint of a former first-floor balcony at a house in Abberley, Worcestershire on 9 February 2024.

While working on the roof trusses, Mr Baker, who was 56 at the time, stepped onto an unguarded opening for a future skylight, resulting in him falling approximately two metres to the floor below. He sustained a serious head injury, several broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and kidney damage. He remained intubated in hospital for approximately two weeks before surgery could be attempted.

The long term impact on Mr Baker has been profound both physically, as his mobility has been affected long term, and mentally as he has since been diagnosed with PTSD.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that no external scaffold had been put into place around the perimeter of the extension to provide safe access or prevent falls to the ground below. Additionally, there were no measures in place internally to prevent falls into the extension.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height and managing construction activities.

The HSE investigation also found that Atrium Conservatories Limited had failed to properly plan the work and to provide its workers with suitable instructions for carrying out their duties safely.

Atrium Conservatories Limited of Kington, Herefordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £5,309 in costs at a hearing at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on 26 June 2025.

HSE Inspector Jo Quigley said “Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death.

“This incident could have easily had fatal consequence and it highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities. Suitable control measures, such as internal crash deck, should also be implemented to minimise the risk of serious personal injury.

“Every company that carries out building alterations must understand they are undertaking construction work; and therefore ensure they put in place suitable control and management measures throughout the duration of the work to the same standards as the wider construction industry.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Julian White and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

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 and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
5. HSE guidance on working safely at height is available.

• Two companies also fined.
• Young roofer was on just his second day on the job.
• Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of workplace death and HSE guidance is available.

A director has been given a suspended jail sentence and two companies fined after a young man on just his second day on the job fell to his death at a premises in Walsall.

Adam Brunskill, 22, had been part of a team of four men working on the roof of Bestway Wholesale in Bloxwich Lane, near Reedswood. On 14 July 2020, he fell through an unprotected glass-wire skylight to the concrete floor approximately 23-feet below. He sustained a severe brain injury and died in hospital the following day.

It had only been Adam’s second day working as a roofer on the project to install over-cladding to the large industrial unit.

Wayne Clarey, the director of Wayne Clarey Roofing & Cladding Limited, was given a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months. His company was fined £45,000, while principal contractor Proclad Developments Limited was fined £400,000.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that this was a very preventable incident.  The skylights could have been covered or safety netting installed below.

• Proclad (Developments) Limited of Snail Hill, Rotherham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 9 (2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and have been fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,089.
• Wayne Clarey Roofing & Cladding Limited of High Escombe, Bishop Auckland pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 9 (2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and have been fined £45,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,000.
• Director Wayne Clarey of High Escombe, Bishop Auckland pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 9 (2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

HSE inspector Gareth Langston said: “The collective failures of those responsible for site safety in this case has cost a young man his life.

“Adam Brunskill was at the very beginning of his career but was not kept safe.

“When working on fragile roofing, or where skylights are in place on a metal roof, safety netting is essential.

“Had these measures been put in place Adam would still be alive.”

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 guidance on working safely at height is available.
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 housebuilder has been fined £800,000 after a teen apprentice was injured when a temporary stairwell covering collapsed.

Charlie Marsh, 17, had been working as a contractor on a Taylor Wimpey UK Limited site as it built around 450 new homes on its Meadfields site in Weston-Super-Mare.

The apprentice bricklayer, from Whitchurch in Bristol, was less than 12 months into his career when the incident happened. An investigator for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the teen was lucky to escape serious injury.

On 22 August 2023 Charlie had been loading concrete blocks onto the temporary flooring on the first floor of one of the newly built homes. The blocks were being loaded into stacks of between 10 and 20, one of which was on or near to a temporary stairwell covering. This was a large area covered with a timber sheet material laid over joists – both of which would be later removed to install the staircase.

However, the area collapsed, causing Charlie and around 20kg of the concrete blocks to fall more than two metres to the ground below. He sustained injuries to his fingers, hand, wrist and shoulder.

The subsequent HSE investigation found that the joists under the timber sheet material should have been back propped. This was mentioned a number of times in Taylor Wimpey’s own health and safety manual for the site, however, it had been missed on this particular plot. Had suitably designed back propping been used, it is unlikely the incident would have occurred.

• HSE guidance (L153 – Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015) states that all practicable steps must be taken to prevent danger to any person from structural collapses and that an employer has a duty to ensure that contractors under their control should not be exposed to risks of their health or safety (Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974).

Taylor Wimpey UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £6,240.25 costs with a £2000 victim surcharge at the North Somerset Magistrates’ Court on 3 June 2025.

HSE inspector Derek Mclauchlan said “Everyone working in construction has a responsibility to ensure people are safe.

“Any work involving structural stability is potentially high risk and proper planning and implementation should be given.

“This incident could have been avoided had the right steps been taken.

“The failures of Taylor Wimpey resulted in a young man at the very beginning of his career being injured. Charlie was lucky those injuries were not far more serious.

“Lessons should be learned.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Samantha Tiger and Paralegal Officer Rebecca Withell.

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 Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 – 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.

• James Young died in hospital more than a week after the fall
• Locking fault on “ambulift” had been in place for some time before incident
• HSE guidance is available on the maintenance of work equipment.

The owner of Edinburgh Airport has been fined £80,000 after a pensioner fell from an ambulift on his return from holiday.

Following the fall, James Young was admitted to hospital, but died more than a week later from his injuries .

The 81-year-old had just landed at the airport after holidaying on the Greek island of Rhodes with his wife Anne, when the incident happened on 28 November 2023.

Mr Young and his wife, who has mobility issues, had been waiting for one of the airport’s ambulifts to assist them disembarking the aircraft shortly after 4pm. The couple had been two of six people requiring the assistance of the ambulift following the flight.

Ambulifts are a specially designed vehicle to assist passengers with reduced mobility. Edinburgh airport has several such vehicles which are owned, maintained and operated by the airport and driven by its employees.

Passengers who cannot embark or disembark using the aircraft steps can use an ambulift cabin, which is capable of being elevated to the level of the aircraft’s door and lowered to the chassis of the vehicle. At the rear of the vehicle, a tail lift platform is then deployed to the same level as the floor level of the passenger compartment.

Passengers then exit the compartment onto the tail lift, which unlike the compartment, is not enclosed, but has safety side rails and a rear gate around its perimeter. Once secure on the tail lift, it is lowered to ground level, allowing its users to move on to the tarmac step free.

Mr Young attempted to pass a piece of hand luggage to a worker on the ground whilst the tail lift had not yet been lowered. It is believed he leant  against the safety rail, which swung open causing him to fall approximately five feet to the ground below.

He was assisted to his feet and helped into a wheelchair and although he wasn’t thought to have sustained serious injury at time, he was taken to hospital. When examined at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, it was found Mr Young had sustained  serious injuries and he subsequently died on 7 December as a result of these injuries.

As a result of the incident, Edinburgh Airport Limited submitted a RIDDOR to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and an investigation was carried out. That found that when it was raised from the ground, the locking mechanism on the tail lift’s safety rail was misaligned, meaning it could potentially open outwards if pressure was applied to it. When the safety rail moved outwards from the lifting platform an open edge was created and it was through this that Mr Young fell.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require every employer to ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. Equipment must be maintained so that its performance does not deteriorate to the extent that people are put at risk. HSE guidance is available on the maintenance of work equipment.

Edinburgh Airport Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 5(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £80,000 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 10 June 2025.

HSE inspector Jurate Gruzaite, said: “Edinburgh Airport Limited had a duty to ensure all of its work equipment was maintained in an efficient state and in working order. The company failed in this duty and had a role in a family tragedy that unfolded the moment Mr and Mrs Young returned from holiday.

“It is clear that the fault on the ambulift had been in place before Mr Young fell from the platform.

“We can only hope this tragic incident is one the industry can learn from.”

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.

• HSE guidance says all work at height must be properly planned

A construction company and its director have been fined after a worker fell through the roof of a sheep barn.

Jack Croft, 30, suffered life changing injuries after the incident in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

He was working for Norman Iveson Steel Products, as part of a project to extend the sheep barn. Roof sheets needed to be installed, bridging the gap between the old roof and new. Jack, from Bedale, was carrying out the work on 11 October 2022 when he stepped onto a fragile roof light which immediately broke under his weight. He fell from a height of around six metres.

Mr. Croft suffered significant life changing injuries, including five cranial fractures, 10 fractured ribs, a cranial bleed, hearing loss and fractures to his spine, eye socket, cheek, wrist and shoulder. He also suffered a collapsed left lung and a pulmonary embolism.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to implement basic working at height control measures, such as safety netting, to prevent falls from height in this area. The netting that was in place on site did not cover full work areas and was installed by persons without the sufficient skills to rig it. HSE also found a failure to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase, to ensure it was carried out in a safe manner.

HSE has a range of guidance on how to plan and carry out work at height safely: Construction – Work at height – HSE

Norman Iveson Steel Products Limited, of Hill Crest, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,101 at York Magistrates Court on 22 May 2025.

Phillip Iveson, a director of the company, pleaded guilty to Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 194 and fined £1,822 and told to pay costs of £2,358.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Gavin Carruthers, said: “This was a tragic incident where a young man narrowly escaped death but received life changing injuries. Falls from height continue to be the leading cause of workplace death in Great Britain and this incident was fully avoidable if steps were taken to address the risks.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Karen Park and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

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
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.

• Working at height a leading cause of workplace injury and death, HSE guidance is available.

Two Shrewsbury-based companies have been fined after a worker fell through a roof during extension work on a house extension the town.

The injured man was one of several workers employed by Roofrite (Shropshire) Limited carrying out work on the roof of the property on 9 December 2022. The firm had been appointed by principal contractor Harding and Houlston Building Contractors Limited to install the roof on the property.

While working on the roof, the man accidently stepped in an area where there was an opening for a window that was yet to be installed, resulting in him falling through and to the ground below. He suffered fractures to his spine and ribs.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that external scaffold had been put into place around the perimeter of the extension to allow workers access to the roof. However, there were no measures in place internally to prevent falls into the extension and to the ground below.

• Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height.

The HSE investigation also found that Roofrite (Shropshire) Limited had failed to properly plan the work and to provide its workers with suitable instructions for carrying out their duties safely. Harding and Houlston Building Contractors Limited had also failed to ensure that the roof work had been properly planned, and failed to carry out any monitoring of the work that was being completed by the roofers on the site, which was under its control.

Roofrite (Shropshire) Limited of Atcham Business Park, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, pleaded guilty to breaching three charges of Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and were fined £8,000 and order to pay costs of £2,990 at a hearing at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on 19 May 2025.

Harding and Houlston Building Contractors Limited of Emstrey House North, Shrewsbury Business Park, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and were fined £500 and order to pay costs of £2,990 at the same hearing.

HSE inspector Sara Andrews said “Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death.

“This incident highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities. Suitable control measures, such as internal crash deck, should also be implemented to minimise the risk of serious personal injury.

“All principal contractors must ensure such control measures are in place throughout the duration of the work.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Nathan Cook and paralegal officer Gabrielle O’Sullivan.

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 and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
5. HSE guidance on working safely at height is available.

• Both workers “fortunate to be alive”, says HSE lawyer
• HSE guidance available on working from height and safe handling of baggage
• Specific guidance on airside safety management available from Civil Aviation Authority

British Airways has been fined more than £3million after two employees fell from height and sustained serious injuries.

The airline was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following two separate incidents at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.

On 25 August 2022, a 54 -year-old employee had been unloading baggage containers from an aircraft when he slipped off a televator and landed 1.5 metres onto the ground below. He suffered serious back and head injuries, including a fractured vertebrae, as a result.

The HSE investigation found there were gaps between the televator’s guardrails and the aircraft fuselage, the size of which depended on the type of aircraft, creating the fall from height hazard. The gaps increased in size after the front of the televators’ platforms at Terminal 5 were extended – but additional measures to prevent falls from height had not been implemented.

At the time of the incident, British Airways had started a programme to retrofit extendable guardrails to televators in response to previous HSE visits. This was completed following the incident.

In the second incident a British Airways worker sustained head injuries, including a fractured jaw and bleeding on the brain, on 8 March 2023, while unloading baggage containers from an aircraft following its arrival from Seattle. The 43-year-old fell from an elevator and landed three metres onto the ground below.

Both employees were taken to hospital for treatment and had to take several months off work.

The HSE investigation into this incident identified a risk of employees falling from height from the front of the elevator platforms when they were being used during loading and unloading of some aircraft types. Flaps on either side of the platform would be left folded down leaving a gap between the platform and aircraft fuselage.

It also found that the elevator’s operator platform had not been fully extended towards the aircraft, creating a gap which employees could fall through.

Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death. HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height while the Civil Aviation Authority has guidance with input from HSE on ground handling activities, including aircraft loading, on its website.

British Airways PLC, of Waterside, Speedbird Way, Harmondsworth, Greater London, pleaded guilty to two charges under Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was fined £1.33million in relation to the August 2022 incident, and £1.875million in relation to the March 2023 incident. The company was also ordered to pay £20,935 in costs at Southwark Crown Court on 15 May 2025.

HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz, who brought the prosecution, said:

“Falls from height present a real risk of death or serious, life-changing injury. Both employees are fortunate to be alive today.

“The risks of working at height and the necessary control measures are well established – in these cases adequate guardrails would have significantly reduced the risk of harm. This was a reasonably foreseeable risk that British Airways should have been aware of and therefore it should have done more to protect its employees.”

Moving baggage between an aircraft and the luggage carousel in the terminal building is dynamic and time-pressured. It therefore comes with a range of risks to baggage handlers. Several HSE inspections have taken place at Heathrow Airport, identifying risks with manual handling and maintenance of equipment as well as falls from height. Airlines and ground handling companies have needed to take action as a result of these visits. HSE guidance is available here.

This HSE prosecution was supported by HSE paralegal officer Melissa Wardle.

Notes to editors:

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 and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.