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

A construction company was fined £33,500 after a worker died from injuries sustained in a July 2022 fall through an unprotected roof opening, worsened by a flawed rescue attempt. The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted the company for not implementing edge protection and other measures to prevent falls from height.

To ensure accidents like this do not occur to your workers, contact one of our health and safety specialists for FREE, same-day advisory on 01455 858 132.

Reason for prosecution

Consequences for your construction business

Croner’s risk prevention process

Strategy implementation

Reach out to an expert

Case background  

In July 2022 a construction worker fell through a roof opening in Farnborough. The fall caused serious injuries. In a botched rescue, he was lifted out from inside the property through the very opening he fell from. He was then carried from the roof, down a ladder, at which point an ambulance rushed him to hospital.

The worker later died from his injuries. 

Reason for prosecution  

The construction company who hired the worker, responsible for overseeing a single storey extension, was later investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The investigation revealed several serious missteps by the company.

They had failed to:

1. Use effective measures to prevent personal injury caused by falling from height.
2. Implement edge protection at the construction site – edge protection around potential openings in the roof is a minimum health and safety standard.
3. Provide critical company information at the request of the HSE inspector.

As a result, the company was fined £33,500 and £8,472 in costs, as well as a £2,000 victim surcharge.

Consequences for your construction business 

If you run a construction business, dangerous procedures, such as Work at Height, could permanently damage both your company’s reputational and financial wellbeing, as well as your workers’ health and wellbeing if not undertaken correctly.

In specific, the consequences of an incident like this are:  

• Irreversible reputational damage. 

• Client flight. 

• Bankruptcy. 

• Prosecution in a criminal court. 

• Financially crippling penalties.  

So, how do you, as a business owner, ensure that an accident like this never happens to your business and the workers under its care? 

Let’s cover how Croner’s expert health and safety team would have handled this situation below: 

Croner’s risk prevention process  

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, all UK employers must ensure the safety and welfare of their workers in the workplace. 

If this business was a Croner partner, our team of specialists would at once go to work on understanding all the risks present, before construction went ahead.

This process would take the form of thorough risk assessments, with special focus on Work at Height risks.

This assessment would evaluate:

• Work at Height protection gear – i.e. were workers going to utilise up to date, fit-for-purpose equipment? (i.e. edge protected scaffolding, harnesses, clear safety and Work at Height monitoring).
• Risks present on edges and roof openings.
• If formal training procedures existed, and if they equipped workers with the necessary skills to undertake construction procedures safely. 
• If incident and risk-reporting systems were up to date, centralised, and actionable (i.e. systems are in place to at once act on reported risks and/or incidents). 
• All construction related procedures and whether Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are: 
  • a) sufficiently documented.
  • b) risk-free. 
• If on-site teams have the expertise needed to undertake work safely (i.e. not understaffed, have trained banksmen on-site, etc). 

The above represents only a small portion of risks that our identification and evaluation system would uncover.

Strategy implementation  

In the implementation phase, we would address the identified risks by providing targeted solutions based on the outcomes of the risk identification phase.

For example:

• Overhauling non-compliant/insufficient Work at Height training.
• Implementing proper edge and fall from height protection.
• Requesting the use of proper/effective safety gear before construction commencement.
• Upskilling team members in instances where lack of ability is identified.

Legal disclaimer 

The information provided above is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is imperative that you consult with a qualified professional or legal advisor to ensure that your organisation adheres to all relevant laws and best practices. Always prioritise the safety and wellbeing of those in your care. 

Reach out to an expert 

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector, Jenny Morris said:

“Falls when working at height remain the most common kind of workplace fatality, accounting for around a quarter of all worker deaths. In this case, this was a wholly avoidable incident — The worker died in a fall which should never have been able to happen.”

If you run a construction business and you want to ensure your organisation is risk free, give one of our Health & Safety specialists a call today for FREE, same-day advisory.  

Call 01455 858 132.