Info Brief May 2025: Company fined following 20 foot fall
Fines issued following fatal fall from height: a reminder of the importance of safe working practices
In response to this incident, we have written our info brief to serve as a reminder of the importance of safe working practices.
Our info brief provides valuable reminders and key considerations to help you and your team stay safe and prevent incidents like the one highlighted in the brief.
A company and its operations manager have been fined following a tragic incident in which a man lost his life after falling through a fragile roof while working at height. An investigation carried out by the HSE concluded that the work had not been properly planned, organised, or supervised – failures which ultimately led to the tragic outcome.
A workman at an old steel cleaning machine in June 2018, stepped onto a fragile section of the roof and fell over 20 feet. He sustained fatal injuries and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the work had been underway since December 2017, overseen by the operations manager. The task involved
dismantling a corrugated steel tower, but crucial safety measures were missing. There was no suitable or sufficient risk assessment in place, and the work was carried out without appropriate access equipment, training, or safe systems of work. Critically, the fragile roof posed a significant danger which had not been effectively identified or managed.
The investigation concluded that the work had not been properly planned, organised, or supervised—failures which ultimately led to the tragic outcome.
The company was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £90,000 and ordered to pay £28,956 in costs. The
operations manager, who accepted he had not taken reasonable care for the safety of workers under his supervision, was fined £8,500 and ordered to pay the same amount in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 7 of the Act.
Speaking after the case, the HSE reinforced the message that working at height continues to be one of the most significant risks in the workplace:
“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.”
At Right Directions, we know that tragic incidents like this serve as a powerful reminder of the need for proactive health and safety measures.
What do you need to do? Check your organisation is safe!
- Do your risk assessments and safe systems of work cover all working at
height tasks? - Have you got working at height procedures?
- Do you have a robust training plan, and are you considering what your team needs to carry out their working at height jobs safely?
- Do you know what tasks are completed at height?
Read the PDF info brief here: Company fined 20 foot fall_Info Brief May 2025
If you need any support with the above, our team is here to help. info@rightdirections.co.uk or call 01582 840098.
More details regarding the incident on HSE’s website
We can offer a lot more support, guidance notes and legislative advice in this area – get in touch!
