• Connor Lambert, a trainee painter, was electrocuted while working in Chester
• The 24-year-old and his partner were expecting their first child
• His step dad has been sentenced for failing to properly plan for the work

A sole trader has been sentenced after his stepson was fatally electrocuted while working on a domestic property in Chester.

Daniel Watton, 50, trading as Inside Out Painters and Decorators Property Maintenance, was given a suspended jail sentence in relation to the death of trainee painter Connor Lambert. The 24-year-old, from Market Drayton, died after coming into contact with electricity, when a ladder was being moved near overhead power lines. He had been working at the house in Farndon on 29 July 2024 when the incident occurred.

Connor had been expecting his first child with partner Megan McCann at the time, and she described him as having the ‘cheekiest grin’ and being someone who loved family life.

Connor’s partner Megan McCann said:

“Connor was amazing. He had the cheekiest grin and would light up any room he was in – he was so funny.

“He was a caring person who always put everyone else first. He was very ambitious and he was an avid Arsenal fan. He went to loads of matches with my father and brother.

“He was a happy person who loved family life.

“We had been trying for our own family for three years and he was over the moon when we found out I was pregnant. 

“He never missed a midwife appointment and was elated when we found out we were having a baby girl.

“We had been on the phone talking the morning he died – I had just taken delivery of a moses basket and I was heavily pregnant at 32 weeks.

“But within minutes I got another phone call to say there had been accident and Connor was dead.

“I never thought I would have buried the love of my life and then given birth to our daughter 23 days later.

“She knows daddy is in the sky and at night he shines as a star – I’m making sure she knows who Connor is, but at some point I will have to explain to her what happened.

“I will never get over Connor’s death – I still feel angry, numb and feel a massive part of my world has gone.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Connor had been moving a fully extended ladder with a colleague at the gable end of the property. During this process, the ladder either came into contact with an overhead power line or came close enough for an electrical arc to form. While Connor was killed, his colleague suffered burns to his hands, feet, and stomach.

The investigation also found the work at height had not been properly planned, supervised, or carried out safely. The selected equipment and methods of work were unsuitable for the task and the risks associated with working near overhead power lines had not been adequately assessed or controlled. Additionally, the investigation identified issues in relation to the training and competence of those carrying out the work.

The original plan of work involved using a tower scaffold and ladders to paint the exterior of the property, including an area with a glass canopy; however, this approach was neither suitable nor safe. In practice, the work deviated from this plan, with ladders used throughout. This method was approved by Daniel Watton, but was also unsuitable and unsafe as demonstrated by the fatal incident.

Connor’s father Craig West, said the loss of his son had changed him, adding:

“This experience has changed me, my emotions, my temperament and my outlook on life.

“I’m agitated regularly and can become angry easily. I have lost the spring in my step and no longer have the drive I once had and work now has become a chore.

“After the findings of the inquest I find Connor’s accident even more tragic as it should have so easily been avoided.

“I do hold people responsible for this situation.”

HSE guidance states that where work at height cannot be avoided, it must be properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out safely. This includes using suitable equipment and work methods and ensuring those involved are competent. Where work near overhead power lines is unavoidable, measures must be taken to eliminate or reduce the risk, such as isolating the power supply, using appropriate equipment, and maintaining safe distances.

Daniel Watton, of Bean Bank, Wollerton, Market Drayton, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £10,645 in costs at Warrington Magistrates Court on 6 October 2026.

HSE inspector Keeley Eves said:

“This tragic incident meant a father never got to meet and hold his baby daughter.

“The fact it could and should have been prevented with proper planning and control measures, makes it all the more stark.

“Work at height and work near overhead power lines are both high-risk activities. Employers must ensure that suitable equipment is selected, risks are fully assessed, and workers are adequately trained and supervised.

“The very lives of those workers depend on these decisions.

“Our thoughts remain with all of Connor’s loved ones.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jonathan Bambro and paralegal officer Lynne Thomas. The investigation was supported by Natalka Heath, HSE Visiting Officer.

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.

• 59-year-old father of two was killed when he fell from first floor
• The work had not been properly planned or measures put in place
• Falls from height remain leading cause of fatalities in construction industry

An Oxfordshire-based construction company has been fined £120,000 after a carpenter died when he fell through an unsafe first floor while carrying out refurbishment work.

W G Carter Limited, of Appleton, was sentenced following the death of 59-year-old Richard “Felix” Roper, who fell from height while working at a domestic property in Gloucestershire.

Mr Roper, a father of two, had been carrying out work on the first floor of Manor Barn House, Nether Westcote, on 30 August 2022, where extensive repairs were being undertaken to replace rotten floor joists and floorboards.

He had been tasked with replacing damaged floor joists while other workers removed sections of flooring in the same area. Large parts of the first-floor structure had been stripped back, leaving open gaps between joists. In addition, some joists were either missing altogether or had not been secured.

It was while working in these conditions, Mr Roper fell from the first floor to the concrete ground floor below. He sustained severe head injuries and died in hospital the following day.

A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Gloucestershire Police found that the work at height had not been properly planned, appropriately supervised, or carried out safely.

The investigation identified several serious failings. Workers, including Mr Roper, were able to access areas of the first floor where flooring and structural supports had been removed, despite there being insufficient measures in place to prevent falls. At the same time, other workers were continuing to remove floorboards, creating and increasing the risk of falling from height.

Following the incident, HSE served a Prohibition Notice, stopping further work at height until adequate safety measures had been introduced.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury with the latest statistics from HSE showing that they account for over a quarter of all work related deaths in 2025/26.

HSE guidance states what an employer must do to protect their employees from falls from height including making sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people.

The investigation found that W G Carter Limited had failed to adequately plan the work and implement suitable measures to prevent workers from falling. After the incident, the company adopted a safer method of working, installing floor joists from below using appropriate work-at-height equipment and preventing access to the first floor while the work was being undertaken.

On 24 September 2026, at Bristol Magistrates Court, W G Carter Limited, of 81A Eaton Road, Appleton, Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,247.

HSE principal inspector James Lucas said:

“Due to the failings of this company, a man lost his life.

“Every year, workers are killed or suffer life-changing injuries because work at height has not been properly planned or suitable safeguards have not been put in place.

“Had appropriate controls been in place, Felix’s death could have been prevented.”

“Our thoughts remain with Felix’s family. He was a valued colleague and a much-loved father of two who lost his life in circumstances that should never have arisen.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski, enforcement advocate Rowena Goodwin and paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. 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.

• 23-year-old fell from ladder while erecting fence near the A19
• The work had not been properly planned
• Falls from height remain leading cause of death and injury

A fencing and land services company in Ripon has been fined after an employee suffered spinal fractures when he fell from a ladder during the erection of an acoustic fence.

The 23-year-old man was working for Metcalfe Fencing Contractors Ltd at a site in North Tyneside on the 10 of December 2024. He had been erecting a four metre tall, 265 metre long section of acoustic fencing in between the busy A19, near Holystone, and a housing estate.

The work was planned in such a way that required the use of a ladder on uneven, muddy ground, and an excavator was used to lift the fence panels over the head of the operator situated on the ladder. However, the slings of the excavator became tangled in the ladder during this operation, causing the ladder to tip, and the employee to fall approximately two metres onto the ground.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Metcalfe Fencing Contractors Limited failed to properly plan the lifting operation and the work at height activities.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury and HSE guidance states that employers must ensure lifting operations and work at height activities are properly planned, and that they are carried out in a way which is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe. This includes making decisions about whether the work at height can be eliminated entirely. You can read more about our guidance here – Work at height – HSE.

Metcalfe Fencing Contractors Ltd, of The Annexe Heatherlands, Grantley, Ripon, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £22,000 and ordered to pay £5,327 in costs at South Tyneside Magistrates Court on 29 September 2026.

HSE inspector Matthew Dundas said:

“Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of poorly planned lifting operations or work at height activities.

“This particular incident was wholly avoidable. Had the company used reasonable practicable measures such as remote release clamps on the lifting equipment, and tag-lines to avoid the need to work on a ladder, this injury would not have occurred.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan and paralegal officer Zara Salman.

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 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.

• Father-of-one Joseph Tuck sustained serious spinal injuries that prevented him returning to a physical job.

• Simple measures to prevent a fall, including securing the stairwell cover or installing edge protection, were not in place.

• HSE identified multiple failures in the management of work at height.

A domestic house builder in Sowerby Bridge was fined after a labourer sustained serious spinal injuries when he fell one storey onto concrete through a stairwell opening.

It was only his second week on the job when Mr Joseph Tuck, 24, a father of one, stepped backwards and fell through an opening intended for a staircase that had not yet been installed. He was working as a temporary labourer for a scaffolding company in January 2024 at a site of four new domestic dwellings being constructed by Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd.

The stairwell opening had not been securely covered (previous loose scaffold boards had been removed) and the open edges were not protected. There were no alternative means of accessing the sub-floor and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and the HART team had to rescue Mr. Tuck who had fallen unconscious. He sustained serious spinal injuries which prevented him from working for months after the incident and has not returned to a physical job since.

An HSE investigation found that Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd had failed to put adequate measures in place to prevent falls from height, resulting in Mr Tuck falling through an unprotected stairwell opening and suffering life-changing injuries.

HSE guidance states that employers must take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent and mitigate falls when working at height. This includes properly planning the work, carrying out task-specific risk assessments, and putting in place physical safeguards such as scaffolding, guardrails or coverings to prevent falls, including where there is a risk of falling through openings in floors, roofs or other work platforms. Further guidance can be found here: Work at Height – HSE.

HSE Inspector Louise Redgrove said:

“Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of death in the construction industry, accounting for around a quarter of all fatal injuries to workers each year.

“This was a wholly avoidable incident caused by basic failures in planning and supervision. The stairwell opening was not adequately protected, and simple measures such as securing the scaffold boards or installing edge protection would have prevented Mr Tuck from falling and sustaining serious spinal injuries.

“This fine should serve as a clear reminder to the construction industry that both the courts and HSE take breaches of health and safety law extremely seriously.

“HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action where employers fail to take the necessary steps to protect workers from harm.”

Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd formerly of 1 Bretton Place, Otley Road, Guiseley, Leeds LS20 8FL was found guilty on three charges.  They failed to properly plan and appropriately supervise work at height and to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent a fall.  The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £9,284.05 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 16 September 2026.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Henrietta Ruthven.

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.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Introduction to working at height safely – HSE; The Work at Height Regulations 2005
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.

• Concerns raised by the public during extension work in Kings Cross area of London.
• Despite repeated warnings by HSE, unsafe work continued.
• Falls from height remain leading cause of workplace death and injury.

A construction company and a director have been fined after workers lives were put at risk with unsafe roof work in central London.

B&O Developers Ltd and Sanjay Swaminaryan were fined following an investigation by Britain’s workplace regulator. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) took action after members of the public raised concerns about unsafe working practices during extension and refurbishment of what is now the Kings Cross Express Inn on Kings Cross Road.

In January 2024, concerned members of the public sent photographs to HSE showing people working on a roof at the site with no control measures to protect them from falling, such as edge protection.

There was no safe means of access to the roof, with operatives photographed standing on a makeshift platform balanced on a stepladder.

The HSE investigation found that there were no controls in place to prevent the workers, who were employed by a subcontractor, from falling from height on at least two separate dates.

Measures which had been identified in the roofing subcontractor’s risk assessment as necessary controls, including scaffolding around the roof, were not in place.

The construction project ran from October 2020 until March 2024 and was initially managed by principal contractor Hubb Construction Ltd, of which Sanjay Swaminarayan, 48, was a director. In March 2023, the principal contractor changed to B&O Developers Ltd, with Mr Swaminarayan retained as the sole director and keeping all other site arrangements the same.

HSE inspectors responded to several concerns raised by the public and occupants of surrounding buildings between November 2021 and September 2023 and took enforcement action against both Hubb Construction Ltd and B&O Developers Ltd.

Inspectors also met with Mr Swaminarayan to discuss how he could improve management arrangements to ensure sustained compliance with health and safety law.

Despite these interventions, a further concern was raised regarding unsafe roof work in January 2024.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury with the latest statistics from HSE showing that they account for over a quarter of all work related deaths in 2025/26.

HSE guidance states that in order for roof work to be carried out safely there must be, at a minimum, safe access to the roof and a safe place to work on the roof.

For sloping roofs, in practice this usually means providing full edge protection on all roof elevations to which access is needed. Where roofs are steep, the edge protection system needs to be capable of safely containing a person sliding down the sloping surface. Edge protection is also needed at gable ends.

B&O Developers LTD of Prince Albert Road, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.  The company was fined £4,020 and a surcharge of £1,608 at City of London Magistrate’s Court on 22 July 2026.

Sanjay Swaminarayan, of St John’s Wood Court, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work (etc) Act 1974 (‘the Act’), by virtue of s37(1) the Act. He was fined £2300, a surcharge of £1,108 and ordered to pay costs of £8,000.

HSE inspector Lucy Ellison-Dunn said:

“The working practices of both the company and Swaminarayan put lives at risk.

“Swaminarayan was fully aware of the requirements for safe work at height, having been given guidance from both HSE and his own health and safety advisors on several occasions.

“Despite repeated assurances to improve work practices, he failed to ensure that suitable controls were in place to prevent falls and did not properly supervise those he employed to manage and carry out the work.

“I would like to thank those concerned members of the public who got in touch with HSE to let us know.

“We will always take action against those that fail to protect the lives of workers.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Colin Bromfield and paralegal officer Thomas Smith.

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 states what an employer must do to protect their employees from falls from 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 in England can be found here and those for Scotland here.

• Man fell through barn roof at farm in Northumberland
• Company failed to protect workers carrying out the work
• Falls from height remain leading cause of workplace death and injury

A North-East building contractor has been sentenced after a bricklayer broke his back after falling through a barn roof in Northumberland.

The 24-year-old had been part of a team working for Len Smith & Son Building Contractors Limited carrying out repairs to the roof at East Fleetham Farm in Seahouses on 5 February 2025. The man stepped on a polycarbonate roof sheet and fell approximately eight feet to the concrete floor below. He suffered two broken vertebrae in his back, as well as having a fractured sternum, that required surgery.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to ensure that there were adequate measures in place to protect employees or contractors when working at height. There was no risk assessment or safe system of work for the work activity being undertaken.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury with the latest statistics from HSE showing that they account for over a quarter of all work related deaths in 2025/26.

HSE guidance states what an employer must do to protect their employees from falls from height including making sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people.

Len Smith & Son Building Contractors Limited, East House, 17 Meadow Lane, Beadnell, Northumberland, pleaded guilty to breaching the Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £5,744 in costs by North Tyneside Magistrates Court on 6 August 2026.

HSE inspector Richard McMullen said:

“The outcome of this case could have been much worse, but the man’s injuries were still very serious.

“Falls from height continue to be the leading cause of workplace fatalities in Great Britain, with 31 people losing their lives in the past year.

“The construction industry remains the sector that accounts for the greatest number of workers killed each year.

“These figures do not include those individuals that have sustained serious, life changing injuries in falls.

“We will prosecute those that fail to protect people while at work.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Karen Park and assisted by paralegal Zara Salman.

Further information:

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

• Worker suffered life-changing injuries after falling through an unprotected roof light during refurbishment work.
• HSE investigation found the company failed to put suitable measures in place to prevent a fall from height.
• Falls from height accounted for around a quarter of all worker deaths in Great Britain during 2025/26.

A construction company in London has been fined £60,000 after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he fell through an unprotected roof light while carrying out refurbishment work at a domestic property in Fulham.

On 10 November 2023, a male worker was carrying out roof refurbishment work at a domestic property on Langthorne Street, Fulham. He was working for Lowndes Lumb Construction Limited, passing   materials through an open, unprotected roof light during a property renovation. He fell through the opening onto the concrete floor below, sustaining serious injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to take suitable measures to protect workers from the risk of falling from height. Measures to prevent falls, such as scaffolding, guard rails, an internal crash deck or harness systems, had not been used.

HSE guidance states that work at height must be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely by competent people. Work at height means work in any place where, if precautions were not in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury.

Relevant guidance can be found here: Working at height: A brief guide.

Lowndes Lumb Construction Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £6,070 in costs at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 3 August 2026.

HSE Inspector Lydia Edwards said:

“Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of workplace death and serious injury. The latest HSE statistics show they accounted for around a quarter of all worker deaths in Great Britain during 2025/26.

“This was a wholly avoidable incident that resulted in a worker suffering life-changing injuries. Had suitable measures been in place to prevent a fall, this incident could have been prevented.

“If you are working at height and think there is a risk that someone or something could fall, you must take action to control that risk.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Edward Parton and paralegal officer Melissa Wardle.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here 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.

• Peter Hutchinson, 60, fell 1.5m from the ramp onto a concrete floor.
• Bertschi UK Ltd failed to properly plan the loading activity which used the ramp
• Also failed to install a handrail on the mobile loading ramp, despite manufacturer’s instructions clearly requiring this
• Fined £425,000.

Bertschi UK Limited has been fined £425,000 after a warehouse supervisor suffered fatal injuries following a fall from a mobile loading ramp during a container loading operation at its Middlesbrough site.

Peter Hutchinson, 60, was employed as a Warehouse Supervisor by Bertschi UK Limited and had worked for the company since around 2009.

On 4 November 2021, Mr Hutchinson was helping to load plastic waste bales into a shipping container at the company’s site in Middlesbrough.

As Mr Hutchinson accessed the ramp, a plastic bale slipped from the forklift truck which was loading them into the container. This caused Mr Hutchinson to step backwards and fall approximately 1.5 metres onto the concrete surface below.

Mr Hutchinson suffered serious injuries and died in hospital on 23 November 2021.

Peter’s wife Karen Hutchinson, said:

“My husband Peter was the family man and everything we did revolved around him.

“Everyone is struggling to come to terms with their dad, uncle and friend not being here. He did so much for so many people.

“To explain my feelings of loss is to try and explain the unthinkable – there are just simply no words.

“Peter was my husband and very best friend. He was my always and forever and he is my forever always.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Bertschi UK Limited failed to properly assess the risks associated with the loading operation and failed to adequately consider and control the risks arising from pedestrian use of mobile loading ramps.

The investigation found that employees were permitted to access the ramps without handrails. In spite of the fact that the manufacturer of the ramp had specifically advised that pedestrians should not use the ramp unless handrails were fitted.

HSE also found that the company had not sufficiently considered reasonably practicable alternatives that would have avoided work at height altogether, including using existing loading bays or placing containers on the ground before loading.

Employers must properly plan and assess work at height and ensure that it is avoided where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Where work at height cannot be avoided, suitable measures must be in place to prevent falls and protect workers from injury.

Bertschi UK Limited, was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Regulation 6(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Regulation 4(1)(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Following a trial at Teesside Crown Court in April 2026 Bertschi UK was fined £425,000 and ordered to pay costs of £119,258 at a hearing at Teesside Crown Court on Friday 17 July 2026.

HSE inspector Cain Mitchell said:

“Peter Hutchinson lost his life in an incident that was entirely preventable. The manufacturers instructions were clear: no pedestrian should have been using the ramp without handrails being fitted.

“Employers should carefully assess work at height activities and always consider whether the task can be carried out without exposing workers to fall risks.

“This was a new activity – changes to established working practices can introduce new risks and employers must ensure those risks are identified and controlled before work begins.

“This prosecution should remind dutyholders that HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action when workers are unnecessarily placed at risk.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Jonathan Bambro and Paralegal Officer Rebecca Forman.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here: 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.

• Steven Tervit, 32, was working in a scissor lift when he was ejected out of it
• He had worked for company for 15 years
• Company failed to suitably and sufficiently risk assess the work

A Hamilton-based company has been fined after a worker died when a series of wall panels collapsed and ejected him from a scissor lift.

Steven Tervit had been carrying out a dismantling operation at a specialist technology centre in Renfrew on 9 November 2022 when the incident happened. The 32-year-old was employed as a labourer by Food Process Engineering Limited and had worked for the company for approximately 15 years.

Mr Tervit had been working at a height of around four metres on a scissor lift, removing wall panels from a cleanroom at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) at Westway Business Park, Porterfield Road, when the remaining panels fell and struck the platform. Mr Tervit was thrown from the lift onto the concrete floor of the warehouse.

He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he was found to have suffered a traumatic brain injury, rib fractures, lung contusions and fractures to his right thigh bone and left shin bone. He died in hospital the following day.

The cleanroom, which had been used to house a welding robot, was a steel-framed structure with walls and roof constructed of polyurethane panels measuring 6.1 metres in height. Food Process Engineering Limited had been subcontracted to remove the panels as part of the wider dismantling operation.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to adequately assess and manage the risks associated with dismantling a structure it had not originally installed.

The wall panels, once the roof had been removed, had insufficient lateral support to maintain their structural stability. HSE found that the company’s risk assessment and method statement did not adequately address the risk of unplanned collapse due to structural instability. Although the company’s own method statement specified that ‘A-frame’ props or supports should be installed where necessary, no such props were present or in use on site at the time of the accident.

The company had carried out visual inspections of the exterior of the cleanroom prior to commencing work and proceeded on the assumption that it had been constructed to industry standard. HSE established that this assumption was unsafe, as the disassembly of a structure built by a third party carried an inherent risk of latent defects that could elevate the risk of structural failure.

The company also failed to communicate its risk assessment and method statement to the employees carrying out the work, meaning workers on site were not adequately informed of the risks involved.

Falls while working at height remain the leading cause of workplace injury and death. New data published by HSE for 2025/26 revealed that 31 people died – representing around a quarter of all work-related deaths for the year.

Food Process Engineering Limited, of Unit 17, Whistleberry Industrial Estate, Hamilton, pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2(1), 2(a) and (c) and 33(1)(a) and (c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974. The company was fined £50,000 with a victim surcharge of £3,750 at Paisley Sheriff Court on 6 July 2026.

HSE inspector Amna Doherty said:

“The failings of this company cost a much-loved husband, father and son his life.

“Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury.

“There was a lack of planning in terms of the risk and those being tasked with the job were not aware of the dangers posed to them.

“We will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to protect their workers.”

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.

• A 12-year-old girl was injured by falling glass at Christmas lights event in Hanley in 2024.
• A snow machine fell from a window above the gift shop where members of the public were gathered.
• Emma Bridgewater Ltd was found to have failed to secure snow machine installed above public area.

Ceramics manufacturer Emma Bridgewater has been handed a £266,666 fine after a young girl was injured by falling broken glass during a Christmas lights switch-on event at its premises in Hanley.

The sentence was imposed after a Health & Safety Executive investigation found the company had failed to properly secure a snow machine which fell from a window above.

On 23 November 2024, the 12-year-old victim attended an annual Christmas lights switch-on event with her family at the Emma Bridgewater gift shop in Hanley. During the event, an artificial snow machine, which was in a window opening above the gift shop, fell out of the building and to the ground below. The machine hit a light on the way, sending a shard of broken glass towards the girl’s head, she suffered a deep cut which required hospital treatment.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Emma Bridgewater Limited had not properly assessed the risks associated with the use of the snow machine and had failed to ensure that it was properly secured to prevent it from falling out of the window, despite the manufacturer’s instructions demonstrating clearly how to safely install it.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require employers to ensure that suitable steps are taken to prevent the fall of any material or objects where there is a risk of injury to employees or members of the public.

At Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 6th July 2026, Emma Bridgewater Limited of Lichfield Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 10(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £266,666 and ordered to pay costs of £4931 along with a victim surcharge of £2000.

Health & Safety Executive Inspector Rob Gidman said:

“What should have been a festive event was marred by haphazard planning which left a young girl needing hospital treatment.

“Had the positioning of the snow machine been properly planned and the machine itself been properly secured, this incident could have been avoided entirely – and it’s fortunate the victim did not sustain more serious injuries.

“Christmas gatherings are a happy occasion, but it’s vital organisers thoroughly assess the risks and put in place measures to minimise the risk of harm to the public.”

The HSE investigation was supported by Visiting Officer, Sarah Ough, and the prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Samantha Tiger.

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.