Press release

Home improvement company fined after worker sustains life-changing injuries in fall

A Staffordshire-based home improvement company has been fined £16,500 after a worker sustained serious injuries when he fell from height while carrying out gutter replacement work.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard how the worker had been tasked with replacing guttering on a domestic garage building in Hednesford on 12 August 2024. He had not been given any instructions on how to carry out the work safely and had not been told that a shed was restricting access to some parts of the guttering.

Whilst reaching from his position on the shed to the last gutter bracket, the worker fell approximately 7 feet to the ground below. The fall resulted in serious injuries, including fractures to his shoulder, upper arm, eye socket and nose.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company, Goliath Home World Limited, failed to properly plan the work, put in place measures to prevent or protect against a fall from height, or provide adequate information and instruction to its worker.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require activities to be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. Guidance on achieving compliance with the law and keeping workers safe is available on the HSE website.

Goliath Home World Limited of Goliath House, Navigation Way, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS11 7XU, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £16,500  and ordered to pay costs of £5,994.55 at a hearing on 12 November 2025.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector, Rob Gidman, said: “This incident highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities and ensuring that suitable control measures are implemented. Had the work been properly planned and suitable work equipment provided, this incident would not have happened.”

The HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer, Arfaq Nabi.

 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 Working at height: A brief guide.

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.

 

 

Isle of Wight farm owner hit with fine after disease outbreak infects hundreds of visitors

A farm owner on the Isle of Wight has been fined £8,000 after an outbreak resulted in 264 people being infected with Cryptosporidium – a zoonotic disease.

Sharon Wheeler, 60, ran an animal bottle feeding activity at a petting farm at Hazelgrove Farm in Ryde in April and May 2023. This activity infected more than 30 per cent of attendees with the highly infectious illness, cryptosporidiosis, more than half of those were children.

The animal feeding area in barn, located next to car park

Cryptosporidium is a form of zoonotic parasite (a tiny organism) that causes an illness called cryptosporidiosis affecting people and some animals, particularly farm animals. Symptoms in people can include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, and nausea.

The Hazelgrove Farm outbreak was declared following reports of gastrointestinal illness among visitors who had attended the animal bottle feeding activity, where visitors could purchase a bottle of milk to feed to a lamb or goat kid.

Cold washing facilities in a dirty condition

A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) traced the infections back to the farm, identifying that approximately 2,400 tickets were sold between 4 April to 1 May 2023 for animal feeding event.

The investigation established failings in the way the animal feeding activity was run, including:

The animal pens

As a result, 264 attendees suffered some form of symptoms, however, five per cent of cases were admitted for overnight hospital stays due to prolonged or severe symptoms, including children.

Many adults had to take time off work and school, amounting to 1,254 lost days, because of illness or caring responsibilities. Several victims have reported continuing gastrointestinal issues affecting their day to day lives since attending the event, with some having multiple hospital stays over 2024. Victims’ state that their experiences were among the worst diarrhoea and vomiting they had ever had, fearing for their children’s health, leaving lasting aftereffects and putting their families off ever visiting farm animals again.

In his judgement, District Judge Galloway, summarising the victims statements, said: “There is no doubt that that the events to which they refer are and were serious” and reflected on the victims “psychological toll experienced, and PTSD” and “the fact that the illness was life threatening “and “the fear that a child affected would not recover”.

The animal pens at the farm

Sharon Wheeler or Hazelgrove farm, Ryde, Isle of Wight, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. She was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of  £9,528.35 in costs at a hearing at Southampton Magistrate’s court on 11 November 2025.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Francesca Arnold said: “It is extremely important that farmers understand the risks on their farm, and they should ensure that visitors are protected when inviting the public onto their farms.

“Health risks from contact with the animals need attention and must be controlled. If the zoonotic risks had been properly controlled this incident could have been avoided, but the failures during the animal feeding activity meant a large number of visitors became ill and some suffered lasting effects.

“As with most activities, visits to farms and farm attractions can never be considered free from risk. However, it is possible to reduce the levels of risk by implementing control measures and safe practices to ensure that workers and members of the public are not put at risk and still provide a valuable and enjoyable recreational and educational experience.”

All animals naturally carry a range of microorganisms, some of which can be transmitted to humans. Diseases passed from animals to humans are known as zoonoses. Some zoonotic diseases are more serious than others. Young children and those with deficient immune systems are amongst those more likely to suffer serious effects from zoonotic disease. Some zoonotic diseases can potentially be  life-threatening.  Those operating animal visitor attractions have a legal duty to assess the risk and put in place suitable control measures.

While the risk of contracting a zoonotic disease is generally considered to be low, such risk may be significantly increased without adequate control measures being in place.

Only small numbers of cryptosporidium are required to become ill, and it is capable of surviving for a long time in the environment. People can become infected by consuming contaminated food or drink or by direct contact with contaminated animals. Infection can also occur when people come into contact with animal faeces or saliva, even in very small amounts, such as by touching or kissing infected animals, during bottle-feeding, or touching contaminated fences and other items such as contaminated cloth towels. Good control measures, including handwashing with soap and water are therefore essential.

Industry guidance to assist dutyholders to control zoonotic risk to farm visitors is freely available from the Access to Farms website. The HSE was consulted in the production of the Industry Code of Practice (ICOP) “Preventing or Controlling Ill Health from Animal Contact at Visitor Attractions”.

The ICOP provides sensible, proportionate and balanced advice to farms on how to comply with health and safety law and keep visitors safe and well, including the reasonably practicable measures available to reduce the risk of exposure to micro-organisms and a useful checklist for farmers to use.

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Robert James and Kate Harney and paralegal officer Stephen Grabe.

 

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. Zoonoses are diseases caused by micro-organisms that can be transmitted from animals to humans, these illnesses include those resulting from infection with the organisms Escherichia coli O157(E coli O157) and Cryptosporidium parvum.
  5. Relevant guidance can be found here Preventing or controlling ill health from animal contact at visitor attractions or open farms – HSE and Industry Code of Practice | Access To Farms and Cryptosporidium: public advice – GOV.UK.
  6. 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.

Plastics firm fined following fatal machinery accident

A plastics conversion company based in Derbyshire has been fined £277,500 after an employee sustained fatal injuries when he became trapped in the moving parts of an unguarded machine.

Paul Whalley, 46, was employed by Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd at their factory on Amber Drive, Langley Mill, when the incident occurred.

On 29 May 2020, Mr Whalley entered an opening in the side of a plastic conversion machine that permitted whole-body access to dangerous moving parts. The area contained several unguarded mechanisms, and Mr Whalley became trapped in the machine.

Despite efforts by the emergency services, including cutting conveyor belts and rollers to free him, he sadly died at the scene from crush asphyxia.

Reflex Flexible Packaging machine

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for operation of the machine.

The company had not installed appropriate guarding to prevent access to dangerous parts and had no written safe systems of work or isolation procedures in place.

HSE guidance states that employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

This typically involves fixed guarding, but where routine access is required, interlocked guards may be needed to stop movement before a person can reach the danger zone.

Further information is available in HSE’s Safe Use of Work Equipment – Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and its Approved Code of Practice: Safe use of work equipment (PUWER).

Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd, of Hamilton Way, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £277,500 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs at Derby Crown Court on 5 November 2025.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Lee Greatorex said:

“This tragic incident could have been easily prevented had a suitable and sufficient risk assessment taken place and the actions identified implemented. The accident is made worse by the fact that the company’s own internal health and safety department had identified a lack of risk assessments 18 months before the accident, but no follow-up action was taken to remedy this failing.

“This wholly avoidable incident was caused by the failure of Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd to guard the dangerous parts of the machine Mr Whalley was operating. It was obvious that these moving parts were not guarded and presented a clear risk of injury. Had the company fitted suitable guarding, this fatality would not have occurred.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Edward Parton 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 are available at press.hse.gov.uk.
  4. Relevant guidance can be found here: Safe use of work equipment (PUWER).
  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.

Construction company fined £33,500 after man dies following fall from 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.

Tarp following the fall when police attended

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.

Tarp covering roof/hole when HSE attended

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.

HSE seeks views on proposals to enhance worker and public protection from asbestos exposure

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today launched a consultation on proposals to improve the application of the Control of Asbestos Regulations and guidance around asbestos management to help protect workers and building users.

Great Britain already has one of the best workplace health and safety performances globally, with some of the lowest rates of occupational injury and fatality in Europe. These proposals build on this strong foundation to enhance protections in areas where asbestos remains a significant health risk.

The consultation aims to seek stakeholders’ views on three proposals:

  1. To ensure the independence and impartiality of roles in the four-stage clearance process to further minimise the risk of exposure from asbestos to workers and building users after the removal of asbestos
  2. To drive up the standard of asbestos surveys to ensure dutyholders have the information they need to safely manage asbestos risks
  3. To clarify the type of work that constitutes work with asbestos known as Notifiable Non-Licensed Work (NNLW)

The consultation is particularly relevant to dutyholders, asbestos analysts, asbestos removal contractors, asbestos surveyors, and associated professions including facilities management and construction.

Rick Brunt, Director of Engagement and Policy at HSE, said:

“Asbestos continues to be a significant risk to workers in Great Britain. While we have made significant progress in managing asbestos risks, these proposals represent an important step towards further strengthening protections for workers and the public.

“We want to hear from all stakeholders involved in the asbestos regulatory system to ensure our approach is both effective and proportionate, supporting HSE’s commitment to protecting people and places whilst enabling innovation and economic growth.”

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said:

“The dangers of exposure to asbestos are well known. Its legacy is that it remains the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK — responsible for 5,000-plus deaths per year, with many more people living with the impact of asbestos-related disease.

“In Britain we have a mature and well-established approach to the management of asbestos in buildings: the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and other regulators.

“This consultation aims to improve these regulations and enhance worker and public protection from asbestos exposure.”

The consultation runs until 9 January 2026. The full consultation document, including detailed proposals, background information and how to respond, is available on the HSE website at:

https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/hse/proposals-control-of-asbestos-regs-2012.

Social housing management firm fined for failing to protect workers

An East Midlands social housing provider has been fined £32,000 after multiple workers were diagnosed with vibration related ill-health conditions such as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation after it received more than ten reports of vibration related ill-health in a short period of time. The workers affected had until recently been employed by Nottingham City Homes Limited, an arms-length management organisation that managed social housing on behalf of Nottingham City Council between 2005 and 2023.

The HSE investigation found a large number of the company’s employees were exposed to vibration in their day to day work.  These included bricklayers, joiners, electricians, plasterers, caretakers and others – while their work was varied, all included extensive use of power tools, ranging from drills and impact drivers to vibrating plates and road breakers, over an extended period of time.  Despite this, and the dangers exposure can cause, the company had not properly assessed or controlled worker’s exposure to vibration.

Prolonged and regular exposure to vibration can affect a worker’s health resulting in disorders of the nerves, blood supply, joints and muscles of the hands and arms. These disorders are collectively known as HAVS and symptoms can include pain, tingling, numbness and loss of strength.  HAVS can make everyday tasks such as fastening buttons or holding utensils difficult or impossible.

HSE guidance, available here, and in the HSE publication Hand-arm vibration – The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (L140) (PDF), sets out practical guidance to help employers protect their employees and fulfil their legal obligation to control vibration risks. The guidance includes advice on the assessment of risk, ways to control exposure, and in-depth information about health surveillance.

The HSE investigation also found that the company had not undertaken a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks posed by vibration. Control measures, such as removing the need to use vibrating tools, using lower vibration alternatives, or limiting exposure times, had not been properly implemented. Tool maintenance and health surveillance arrangements were inadequate, and employees had not received sufficient training on the risks that they faced.

Nottingham City Homes Limited, of Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £32,000 and ordered to pay £6,226 in costs at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 3 November 2025.

HSE inspector Tim Nicholson said: “Nottingham City Homes Limited exposed its employees to vibration through the use of power tools for a long period of time.

“The company failed to properly manage this risk which led to employees suffering ill-health – the effects of exposure to vibration can be debilitating and, once damage is done, it is irreversible.

“There is extensive guidance available that is straightforward to follow and includes calculation tools to assist in deciding what is needed to protect employees.

“Employers should take this case as a reminder that HSE will not hesitate to act against companies which do not do all that they should to keep employees safe.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Neenu Bains, and paralegal officer Jorge Kemp.

 

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 assessing and controlling vibration risks can be found here.
  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 in England can be found here and those for Scotland here.

Haulage company fined £250,000 following death of employee

A Middlesbrough road haulage company has been fined £250,000 after a man died while working inside a shipping container.

Gary Lee James, 30 was working for Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd at its yard at South Bank, in the early hours of 8 January 2019, when he suffered a fatal injury.

Mr James and a colleague had been standing up metal frames, each weighing approximately 120kg, within a shipping container, part of what is known as a “devanning” activity.

As the two men lifted the sixth frame, the fifth one fell back towards them, followed by the four others. Mr James was pinned by the neck between the container wall and the fallen frames. Although he was transported to James Cook University Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest, he was sadly pronounced dead three days later.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the frames had not been secured to the container wall. It found that Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd failed to ensure, so far is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees, including Gary James, at work in connection with the devanning of containers.

Despite the company having never undertaken devanning work before, it failed to create a suitable and sufficient written risk assessment. There was no clear and properly planned safe system of work for its employees.

Instead, the company embarked upon an ad-hoc and ultimately unsafe system of work, which was not effectively communicated to the employees who were left largely unsupervised to determine their own methods of devanning the containers.

HSE guidance states that employers must identify hazards, assess risk, and take action to eliminate or control those risks. Employers are not expected to eliminate all risks but they need to do everything ‘reasonably practicable’ to protect people from harm. This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble. Further guidance can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm

Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd, of Dormor Way, South Bank, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £250,000 with costs to be determined at a later date at Teesside Crown Court on 31 October 2025.

HSE Inspector Joy Craighead said: “This was a tragic and preventable incident, that cost a young man his life.

“Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of poorly planned work activity.

“In this case there was a complete failure to risk assess and implement control measures. Had the company done so, Mr James would still be alive.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jonathan Bambro and law clerk 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 can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.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.

 

 

Stress Awareness Week 2025: Time to act on work-related stress

As Stress Awareness Week 2025 begins, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding employers that work-related stress is one of the leading causes of ill health at work – and that preventing it is a legal duty, not just a ‘nice-to-have’.

In 2023/24, HSE statistics show that 776,000 workers reported suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. This accounted for nearly half of all self-reported work-related ill health and led to an estimated 16.4 million working days lost over the same period. 

Failing to manage stress effectively can also result in reduced productivity and higher staff turnover. 

Stress risk assessments – it’s the law 

Some employers may not be aware that they must assess and manage the risks of work-related stress in the same way as other health and safety risks. 

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must assess risks and take reasonably practicable steps to prevent harm — including from stress. 

It’s not just about responding when problems arise. It’s about taking proactive steps to understand the pressures your employees face and acting on what you find. 

Free tools and support from HSE 

HSE’s Working Minds campaign makes it easier for employers to take action. It’s based on five simple steps – the 5 Rs: 

  1. Reach out – start the conversation
  2. Recognise – spot the signs and causes of stress
  3. Respond – agree actions and make changes 
  4. Reflect – review what’s working and what isn’t 
  5. Make it Routine – embed wellbeing into everyday practices 

“Prevention is better than cure,” says Kayleigh Roberts, HSE’s Work-Related Stress Policy Lead. “By acting proactively, employers can better protect employee wellbeing, reduce sickness absence and retain skilled, experienced staff.” 

What employers can do this week 

Taking simple, reasonable steps not only protects your employees – it helps you meet your legal obligations and build a healthier, more resilient workforce. 

Share the message 

Help spread awareness during Stress Awareness Week: 

Our campaign partner Mind shared the following reflection for Stress Awareness Week: 

“Life can feel challenging for many of us, both in and outside of work. That’s why it’s so important that work doesn’t add to the pressure. As a proud Working Minds partner, Mind is supporting employers and workers to prevent work-related stress and create mentally healthy workplaces.”  — Jonathan Stuart, Workplace Partnerships Lead at Mind 

Join the conversation 

Follow and share the Working Minds campaign: 

Construction firm fined after worker fell from barn roof

·       Man fell from height while installing roof sheeting to barn.

·       Work at height was not properly planned.

·       HSE has guidance on working at height.

A construction company has been fined after a worker fell from the roof of a partially constructed barn in Shropshire.

The man had been appointed by Dewi Williams Limited to complete the installation of roof sheets onto a barn that was under construction at a site in Oswestry.

On 2 September 2023, he was stood on a roof sheet that he had recently installed, attempting to put the next one in place, when he fell to the ground below. His fall resulted in significant injuries, including fractures to his ribs and skull.

Partially constructed barn in Shropshire worker fell from

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Dewi Williams Limited failed to properly plan the work and to put in place measures to prevent or protect against a fall from height. Furthermore, company director Dewi Williams was directly involved in the work and had allowed it to be carried out in an unsafe manner.

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 Work at Height Regulations 2005 require work at height activities to be properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out safely.

Dewi Williams Limited of the Lowlands, Crickheathe, Oswestry, Shropshire, pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulations 4(1) and 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000.

Partially constructed barn in Shropshire worker fell from

Dewi Williams of the Lowlands, Crickheathe, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 8BS, pleaded guilty to the same breaches by virtue of Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.

HSE Inspector Sara Andrews said: “This case emphasises the importance of properly assessing the risks associated with all work at height activities.

“Suitable control measures should be implemented to minimise the risk of workers falling and suffering injury.

“Had this work been properly planned, and suitable work equipment provided, this incident would not have happened.

The HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Sarah 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 Working at height: A brief guide.

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.

Transport company fined £133,000 after employee fell from sugar beet conveyor

A Cambridgeshire logistics business has been fined £133,000 after an employee suffered multiple injuries after falling from a sugar beet conveyor.

The employee was loading sugar beet for transport using a conveyor at Knowles Logistics Limited, on 28 November 2023, when the system became blocked with waste product. They fell after climbing the side of the conveyor to clear the blockage, suffering multiple injuries including several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and liver damage.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the conveyor system became blocked multiple times during a shift. Often these blockages could only be cleared by climbing up the side of the machine and removing the obstruction by hand. There was no safe system of work in place for clearing blockages.

Sugar beet conveyor

HSE guidance states that work at height must be properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out safely by competent people. Work at height includes any place where, without precautions, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Further guidance can be found here: Working at height: A brief guide.

Knowles Logistics Limited, of Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £133,000 and ordered to pay £5,438 in costs at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 24 October 2025.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Natalie Prince said:

“Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. This was a wholly avoidable incident that led to a worker being seriously injured.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Iain Jordan, supported by Paralegal Officer Atiya Khan.

 

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 Working at height: A brief guide.
  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.