Ryan Robinson, working for Kingsley Roofing Contractors Limited, fell through a skylight opening after the company failed to employ safety measures
After the fall from a height of over three metres, Robinson suffered injuries requiring surgery and long-term treatment.
The company has since been fined £16,650 following an HSE investigation.
The company was working on a single-storey extension
The HSE investigation found that, at the time of working, covers over two skylight openings had been removed in preparation for the following work. Robinson was removing material from one skylight opening when he accidentally fell through the other.
HSE therefore found that the company had failed to properly plan the work at height, and failed to implement measures to prevent employees falling through skylight openings.
On top of the £16,650 fine, the company was also ordered to pay £7,205 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
HSE inspector, Chris Bennet, said: “Falls from height are the most common kinds of fatal accidents, accounting for over a quarter of fatal injuries to workers in 2024/25. This could be avoided through proper planning and implementation of effective controls.
“The fine imposed on Kingsley Roofing Contractors should underline to everyone in the construction industry that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to plan works at height extremely seriously. It is the duty of employers to ensure that everyone working on a building site returns home safely.”
HSE guidance on working safely at height can be found here.
Falls from height are still a leading cause of workplace injury and death
Earlier this month, research from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) found that nearly half of construction workers are “dicing with death” by taking shortcuts while working at height.
In their research, a fifth of surveyed employees also said that they had not received any training for working safely at height, while one in seven said they believed their boss or contractor would want them to ignore safety to complete the task quickly.
Kelly Nicoll, IOSH president, said: “Each of these deaths is a tragedy that could be avoided. The same goes for those who have been injured. And it’s not just about those who have fallen; we need to consider the family and friends who are left to cope with what’s happened and the colleagues, some of whom may be traumatised from seeing the incident themselves.
“I’ve had to deal with two serious falls from height through my work and they both still live with me today. That’s why we want to raise awareness of this issue, to stop people taking shortcuts with safety and to prevent harm from happening.
“Our survey results show that these shortcuts are still happening, in some cases because the workers themselves feel pressured to do so. These people are dicing with death. We want businesses to ensure they have the processes in place for safe work at height and those doing the work to follow these to protect themselves and others.”
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