• Temporary wooden platforms collapsed during refurbishment project in City of London
• Steve Zschoch, 60, described being ‘folded up like a concertina’ and has not been able to work since.
• HSE guidance is clear temporary structures must be designed, installed and maintained to withstand any foreseeable loads.

Two construction companies have been fined after a drilling operative sustained fractures to his neck and back when a temporary platform loaded with concrete debris collapsed on top of him.

Steve Zschoch, now 60, was working for contractors Diacutt Limited on 23 February 2024 at a construction project at Paxton House in the City of London. The refurbishment project, which was being run by principal contractor Roots Contractors Limited, involved cutting openings through five concrete floors to create a service riser shaft.

Roots Contractors Ltd had instructed its carpenters to build temporary wooden platforms under each opening to collect the 16kg concrete cores and debris that were generated by the cutting.

Mr Zschoch had been cutting an opening on the third floor, working directly under one of the temporary platforms, when it suddenly gave way and collapsed on top of him, along with chunks of concrete that had not been cleared away.

He described being “folded up like a concertina.” He sustained injuries including fractures to his neck, his back and a bleed on his brain. He described the profound impact of the incident on his day to day life;

“The impact this incident has had on me has been life changing in so many ways, he said.

“Not just in mobility issues but in my confidence to do just about anything.

“Even simple domestic tasks, like using the launderette or going to the shops can overwhelm me now. Emotionally as well as physically.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there was no design for the temporary platforms and no calculation had been made for the safe level of loading.

While an inspection form for the platform was completed, it failed to identify any issues with the design, and the person tasked to complete it was a not a competent temporary works coordinator.  We also found that although there had been a verbal instruction for workers to regularly clear the platforms of concrete and not ‘overload’ them, no safe level of loading was known, and there was no monitoring of whether the platforms were indeed cleared.

HSE also found deficiencies in the planning, managing and monitoring of the work by the contractor.

• Risk assessments and method statements provided by Diacutt in advance were inconsistent and their requirements for the principal contractor to provide ‘crash decks’ were unclear.
• There was no supervision of the drilling team by Diacutt management in the week leading up to the incident or on the day.
• While operatives understood that they should not work directly below one another, there was a lack of coordination and clarity as to who should have been working where.

Temporary works must be carefully managed. The law says any temporary structure must be designed, installed and maintained to withstand any foreseeable loads which may be imposed on it and that it be only used for the purposes for which it was designed, installed and maintained. They should be inspected by a competent person on a regular basis. Guidance on temporary works is available at hse.gov.uk.

Roots Contractors Limited of Ewell, Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 16(2). The company was fined £19,333 plus costs of £5,548 at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ court on 11 June 2026.

Diacutt Limited of Croydon pleaded guilty to breaching The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 15(2) and was fined £13,000 plus costs of £5,548 at the same hearing.

HSE inspector Lucy Ellison-Dunn said:

“People rightly expect that when they go to work, they are not put in unnecessary danger, and this entirely avoidable incident had the effect of seriously injuring Mr Zschoch and ending his construction career much earlier than he wanted.

“Those providing temporary works have a duty to ensure that any temporary structure is properly designed and constructed to withstand any foreseeable load that might be imposed on it.

“This means having appropriate arrangements in place to manage temporary works.  Contractors should ensure all construction work is properly planned, managed and monitored to ensure workers can carry out their work safely.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Chloe Ward and Jon Mack, supported by Thomas Smith.

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. Relevant guidance on temporary works is available can be found here and also about the duties of contractors to plan, manage and monitor construction work.
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 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.