• 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.

• Stephen Pywell fell while walking on roof beams
• HSE guidance on working at height is available

The director of a Leicester-based construction company has been given a suspended prison sentence after a man fell from height while working on a house extension and died in hospital several weeks later.

Stephen Pywell was working under the control of Affordable Lifestyle Design Limited at a site in Thurmaston on 18 March 2019. It was during the roof construction phase when the 59-year-old fell while walking on the beams. He had accessed the beams via a ladder, however there was no edge protection in place to prevent falls. He fell from a height of just under eight feet. He was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery, but died several weeks later on 13 May as a result of his injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that James Pitsillides, the director of Affordable Lifestyle Design Limited, had failed to manage the roof work. This included ensuring that roofing subcontractors, including Mr Pywell, were not exposed to health and safety risks.

Pitsillides pleaded guilty and was given a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years. The district judge also ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

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

That guidance states that work at height must be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner that is safe. The “hierarchy of control” prioritizes collective fall prevention measures, for example scaffolding with suitable edge protection. If this isn’t feasible, fall mitigation measures like airbags or netting should be considered to reduce the consequences of a potential fall. In this case, none of these measures were used, and workers were accessing the roof with a ladder and no additional fall prevention measures in place.

James Pitsillides of Orchard Lane, Great Glen, Leicester, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, relating to an underlying breach of s.3(1) by his company. He received a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £10,000 in costs at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on 7 May 2025.

HSE inspector Phil Gratton said: “Every year, a significant number of incidents occur in construction as a result of poorly planned work at height.

“This was a wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure to implement simple fall protection measures. Had the company used suitable work equipment or devised a safe system of work, Mr Pywell’s tragic death could have been avoided.

“Our thoughts remain with his family and friends.”

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 has detailed guidance on working safely 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.

• HSE guidance on working at height and safe use of machinery is available

A North Yorkshire company has been fined more than half a million pounds after a night shift worker fell to his death.

Mark Pinder, 51, was working for East Riding Sacks Ltd, a manufacturer of paper sacks, at its site in Stamford Bridge, near York, when the incident happened on 11 February 2023.

Mr Pinder, from York, had been operating one of the production lines when a blockage occurred on the upper deck of the machinery. After identifying the cause, he attempted to remove the blockage. He had been standing on the stationery metal rollers when his colleagues witnessed part of the machine being activated. Mr Pinder was struck by the machine which caused him to lose his footing.

He fell approximately three metres from the unguarded edge of the metal rollers to the factory floor below.

Although paramedics were called to the factory, he died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that East Riding Sacks Ltd failed to provide a robust safe system of work. This related to the isolation of the sack making line and the removal of blockages. They also failed to identify the risk from a fall from height and implement appropriate measures.

Falls from 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 workers routinely cleared blockages themselves, relying solely on the interlock guarding to stop the machine, even though they had not been adequately trained in isolation or blockage removal procedures. In addition, workers were using the conveyor belt as a shortcut between gantries, often climbing over the handrails onto the equipment rather than down the stairs and walking around. Management were unaware of this practice.

HSE guidance states employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery and to avoid work at height where possible. Where routine access is required to components, suitable measures should be taken to stop the movement of dangerous parts before a person can reach a danger zone. Further guidance can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/puwer-overview.htm

East Riding Sacks Ltd, of Full Sutton Industrial Estate, Stamford Bridge, Full Sutton, York, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 . The company was fined £533,000 and ordered to pay £6,066 in costs at Hull Magistrates Court on 30 April 2025.

HSE inspector Elliot Archer said: “Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and often fatal, occur as a result of people accessing dangerous parts of machinery and working at height.

“Where access beyond machinery guarding and safety devices is required for the removal of blockages, robust isolation procedures to remove all sources of power should be implemented alongside a suitable safe systems of work.

“Had these been in place, and the recognition of work at height being undertaken been flagged by the company, with appropriate controls implemented, this incident would have been avoidable”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Karen Park and paralegal officer Lucy Gallagher.

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 the provision and use of work equipment can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/puwer-overview.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 in England can be found here and those for Scotland here.

• Thirteen foot fall caused brain haemorrhage and multiple fractures
• Barn roof also contained asbestos
• HSE guidance is available for working at height

A self-employed builder has been told to complete 200 hours unpaid work after a man fell more than 13 feet through a barn roof in Lancashire.

James Dargan-Cole, 25, of Todmorden, had failed to put arrangements in place to either avoid the working at height completely or prevent a fall while doing so.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jacob Thomas, who was a self-employed labourer, suffered serious injuries at Great House Farm, Great House Road, on 13 April 2023. The incident happened during his first day on the job, when he had been removing wooden boarding behind the roof of a lower barn structure. Mr Thomas took a step and fell through one of the skylights to the floor below. His horrific injuries included a brain haemorrhage as well as multiple fracturs including to his skull, the sternum, the spine and the shoulder.

• Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has detailed guidance on working safely at height.

An investigation by HSE found that as well as failing to consider the work at height, the roof in question also contained asbestos fibres. Dargan-Cole lacked the understanding of the risks and the associated controls to manage the risks whilst dismantling the lower barn structure.

HSE’s campaign “Asbestos and You” reminds tradespeople about the dangers of asbestos and the importance of working safely with it. Asbestos can be found in buildings built before 2000 and is still the biggest workplace killer in Britain, causing around 5,000 deaths every year. When disturbed, asbestos releases tiny fibres that can cause fatal lung diseases and cancers. More information can be found at: Asbestos & You – Work Right to keep Britain safe.

James Dargan-Cole, of Eastwood Road, Todmorden, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was handed a 12 month community order with 200 hours unpaid work in the community and ordered to pay £2,500 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 1 April 2025.

Principal inspector Paul Thompson from HSE said: “Mr Thomas suffered horrific injuries due to the failure to ensure protective fall prevention or collective fall mitigation measures were in place. These are well known and long standing within the industry.

“This incident came about as a result of poor planning, management and monitoring of activities during work at height. I hope this case serves as an example and a reminder to others about the potential deadly risks they often undertake and how they should be approached.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds, who was supported by HSE 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. Guidance on working safely at height and working with asbestos 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.

• Man fell through fragile roof in Dudley.
• Company, now in liquidation, does not escape criminal sanction
• Detailed guidance on both working on fragile surfaces and working at height is available from HSE.

A company and its operations manager have both been fined after a man fell to his death through a roof at its site in Dudley.

Maciej Rozanski, who was 42, had been working to remove a redundant steel cleaning machine from the company’s Sovereign Works site on Deepdale Lane, on 29 June 2018. However, during the work, Mr Rozanski stepped onto a fragile roof and fell more than 20 feet to the floor below. He suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Surface Technik (Old Hill) Limited, which is now in liquidation, was found guilty following a trial earlier this week, while Robert Hammond had already entered a guilty plea, but disputed he was responsible for health and safety at the site. This prosecution was brought following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The HSE investigation found that the company began the work to remove the machinery in December 2017 and that project was led by Robert Hammond. The steel cleaning machine was housed in a corrugated steel tower on the side of the main production building which required partial dismantling in order to remove the machine. On the day of the incident, Mr Rozanski and another employee were tasked with the dismantling works. Once at the top of the tower they used an angle grinder to remove bolts holding the corrugated steel plates in place. It was during this activity that Mr Rozanski fell to his death.

There was no suitable and sufficient risk assessment made for the work at height activities.  The work to remove corrugated steel sheets from the disused tower was carried out at height, near to a fragile roof surface without suitable access equipment or safe working practices.  The work was not properly organised, planned, appropriately supervised or carried out in a safe manner and the employees were not trained for working at height when the incident occurred.

• HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height and also when working on or near fragile surfaces.

Surface Technik (Old Hill) Limited formerly of Deepdale Lane, Dudley was found guilty by a jury of a breach of Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and have been fined £90,000 and ordered to pay costs of £28,956 at a hearing at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on 21 March 2025.

Robert Hammond of Sutton Coldfield accepted that he did not take reasonable care for the health and safety of both employees when he pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Mr Hammond was fined £8,500 and pay the same amount in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Smewin said “Working from height remains a leading cause of workplace death and injury.

“This case highlights the risks of working at height from or near to fragile roof surfaces and the importance of a risk assessment, proper planning, training and supervision of work at height and the use of suitable access equipment to ensure that the work can be carried out safely.

“It also demonstrates that placing a company into liquidation is no bar to prosecution.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Andrew Siddall 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. Relevant guidance can be found here Work at height – HSE; Fragile surfaces – 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.
6. HSE will always carefully consider any insolvency process and weigh that against the public interest of prosecuting a company that breaks the law.
7. If necessary, we will take steps to prevent a company from being dissolved whilst criminal proceedings are ongoing.

A London property developer has been fined £63,000 plus costs after Britain’s workplace regulator found multiple failures at a construction site in Dalston.

Nofax Enterprises Limited was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following four visits to its site on Dalston Lane over a 13 month period between 2020 and 2021. The company was overseeing the construction of a four storey building on the site, containing nine flats and large basement to house a youth club.

However, the failures identified by HSE inspectors – including multiple working at height risks, poor fire precautions and exposure to large amounts of silica dust – were so serious, that they resulted in the site being closed down on two separate occasions. Other breaches of the law included failing to protect workers from exposure to wood dust, as well as insufficient covid and welfare controls.

• Exposure to either wood or silica dust can result in very serious and life threatening health conditions, including asthma, nasal and lung cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and silicosis. HSE provides a range of guidance for stone workers and those working with wood.

In total, 9 enforcement notices were served against the company for the Dalston Lane site, including five prohibition notices. The subsequent HSE investigation included inspections at other sites operated by the company, identifying a poor health and safety culture and systemic management failings.

Owing to the repeated poor performance and lack of compliance to basic health and safety, Nofax Enterprises Limited, of Maldon, Essex pleaded guilty to breaches of sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Following the hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 18^th March 2025, the company was ordered to pay a total of £88,812.68 which included a fine of £63,000, costs of £25,622.

In summing up, the judge stated that despite repeated visits by HSE and multiple notices being served, risks subsisted over a long period and the company failed to make any appropriate changes. The judge concluded by saying that there had been a systemic failure within the organisation to manage health and safety.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Gordon Nixon said: “This company showed a total disregard to keeping its workers safe.

“They failed to meet even the most basic health and safety standards, continually exposing operatives to serious risks.

“HSE will not wait until workers are seriously injured, or worse and will take appropriate action including prosecutions when health and safety regulations are so blatantly flouted.”

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.

A self-employed roofer has received a suspended prison sentence after a man suffered serious injuries after falling from scaffold in Devon.

Daniel Hooper was given a 16-week custodial sentence, which will be suspended for a period of 12 months, following Iain Smith, 36, falling from a height of more than 25 feet while working for him, on 13 June 2023.

Father of three Mr Smith had been manually carrying old roof slates down a ladder attached to the scaffold platform at a domestic property in Honiton when he fell, suffering serious injury, including five broken vertebrae, as well as skull and rib fractures. Devon Air Ambulance took Mr Smith to Derriford Hospital where he was put into an induced coma for five days. He has since made a remarkable recovery but does still suffer from the effects of his injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Daniel Hooper, 28, trading as Hooper Roofing, failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employee as he did not undertake any planning or appropriately supervise the work at height or supply suitable equipment to do the task safely.

Falls from height remain a leading cause of workplace death and serious injury and HSE has published guidance about how these incidents can be avoided. It is vital that employers plan work at height on any size building or roof work project. Every employer should take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. While ladders can be used for accessing a scaffold platform, HSE guidance is clear that they should only be used for low risk and short duration tasks. Work equipment or other measures must be used to prevent falls where working at height cannot be avoided.

The HSE investigation found that ladders were used to transfer heavy slate tiles to and from the scaffolding platform and this practice was not, so far as reasonably practicable, safe.  There are alternative methods of transferring the slate tiles to and from a scaffolding platform that eliminate the need for ladders to be used for this task. These include the use of a pulley system or use of a mechanical conveyor.

Daniel Hooper, of Brook Road, Cullompton, Devon pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community at Exeter Magistrates Court on 6 February 2025.  He was also ordered to pay costs of £10,875.

HSE inspector Thomas Preston said “Falls from height account for around half of all deaths in the construction industry and Mr Smith is very fortunate to still be alive today.

“The risks of working at height and the control measures are well established, including the need to supervise the work appropriately.  Alternative methods of moving materials up and down from a scaffold platform are available and must be considered when planning roofing projects.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan and paralegal officer Helen Jacob.

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 about working at height safely 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 specialist construction company has been fined £60,000 after a worker fell to his death from a church steeple in Birmingham.

David Clover was employed by Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd to carry out restoration work to St Nicholas’ Church in Kings Norton on 13 November 2020. The 64-year-old steeplejack had been suspended from the 60 metre tall steeple of the Grade 1 listed building, sitting in a ‘bosun’s chair’ – a work positioning seat – when he fell, suffering fatal injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identified that the bosun’s chair was not supported by a suitable backup system preventing falls, such as, a double or twin leg lanyard fall arrest harness.

Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. 50 people died as a result of a fall from height in 2023/24. HSE guidance is available.

Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd, which has ceased trading since the incident, but was formerly of Maryvale Business Park, Maryvale Road Stirchley, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £60,000 at a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 15 January 2025.

In passing sentence, Judge Quereshi found the company had outdated attitudes to managing health and safety.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Emma Page said: “Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of work-related deaths and injury in Great Britain.

“We will take action against companies that fail to protect workers.

“Our thoughts remain with the family of David Clover.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Julian White and paralegal officer Imogen Isaac.

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.

A father-of-three was left paralysed from the chest down after falling through a ceiling at a house renovation in Derbyshire.

Chesterfield builder Andrew Clifford remained lying face down on the floor for around six hours before he was found by a delivery driver. He judged the time by hearing hourly news bulletins from his radio.

Andrew had been working alone installing first-floor joists during the construction of a house on Main Road in Dronfield. The 51-year-old was carrying out the work on behalf of Paul Freeman Limited – a Mansfield-based company he had worked with for around 20 years.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted the company for failing to properly plan work at height.

On the morning of 31 October 2022 Mr Clifford slipped and fell from the first floor to the ground below and was left unable to move.

He spent nearly five months in hospital, with the injuries to his spinal cord so serious they left him paralysed from the chest down, with only limited movement in his hands and arms.

Speaking about the day that changed his and his family’s lives forever, Mr Clifford said: “The first thing I recall after my fall was landing on my head.

“From that point it was a very strange feeling as from when I landed, I felt no pain and I couldn’t understand why or that I couldn’t get up.

“My radio was on and I judged the time by the news. After an hour, I tried to move again and this carried on for around three hours. Eventually, I realised this was serious and I thought I’d better stay still as I didn’t want to cause further injuries.

“This wasn’t the type of street where people were walking past and as it started to get dark I was getting really worried.

“When I was found by the delivery driver I heard him shout out, ‘hello, hello, hello’.

“I think I fell between 9am and 9.30 and wasn’t found until 3pm.”

He went on to say how being a builder was a job he loved and described the impact the incident has had on his everyday life.

“I can’t do anything I used to love doing before,” he said.

“Simple things like doing the gardening, washing the car and jobs around the house.

“I can’t even wash or dress myself now.

“I haven’t been upstairs in my house since the accident – my wife and three daughters all sleep upstairs and I sleep alone downstairs.

“Another thing that really upsets me is the thought of not being able to walk my daughters down the aisle when they get married.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Paul Freeman Limited failed to ensure that work at height had been properly planned and, as such, no measures had been implemented to prevent falls during the construction of the first floor. Mr Clifford had not been provided with suitable instruction as to how the work should be carried out and was therefore left to work this out on his own.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of death in the construction industry and HSE has detailed published guidance on minimising the risks associated with it.

Paul Freeman Ltd of Synergy House,  Acorn Business Park, Commercial Gate, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at Derby Magistrates’ Court on 4 November 2024. They were fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,263.

HSE inspector Sara Andrews said: “My thoughts remain with Andrew and his family, whose lives have changed dramatically as a result of this preventable incident.

“This case highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities and the need to ensure that, where work at height cannot be avoided, suitable control measures are implemented to minimise the risk of serious injury.

“This is even more significant when lone working.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Neenu Bains and paralegal officer Rebecca Forman.

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.

A builder has been given a suspended prison sentence after he put the lives of workers at risk on a construction site in London.

David Beadle, trading as Beadle the Builders, failed to comply with a prohibition notice issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in relation to unsafe working at height at the site on Woodyates Road in South East London.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of death within the construction industry and HSE has published guidance about how these incidents can be avoided.

A proactive investigation by HSE found Beadle allowed workers under his control on at least three occasions to continue using a scaffold which was not properly constructed. It was a potentially dangerous structure at risk of collapse and in breach of the prohibition notice.

Sixty-three-year-old Beadle also failed to ensure that suitable and sufficient measures were in place to prevent workers falling a distance that would have caused personal injury. No edge protection had been installed to the side of the roof, the flat dormer roof, the front elevation of the roof, and safe access was not provided.

He was given a 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months and was told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Beadle of Rochester Way, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulation 2005 and 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.  He was also ordered to pay £6,043 in costs at the hearing at Bexley Magistrates Court on 7 August 2024.

HSE Inspector Emma Bitz said “We will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those who fail to do all that they can to keep workers safe.

“The risks from working at height are well known, as are the control measures required to reduce those risks.

“Falls from height remain the largest cause of workplace deaths in the construction industry.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Chloe Ward and supported by HSE paralegal officer Rebecca Forman.

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 can be found here.
5. Guidance on working at height is available.