Firm fined after man breaks back and skull in fall

A construction company and its director have been sentenced after a worker was seriously injured when he fell through a stairwell opening during construction of an apartment block.

The injured worker, who was 26 at the time of the incident, was a labourer for BHG (Stone) Limited in Aston-by-Stone, Staffordshire, when he fell from a ladder positioned across the stairwell, fracturing his skull and back in December 2023.

The firm and its director Alistair Howells, 58, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £4,000 in costs while Howells was fined £2,000 and required to pay costs of £1,386.

Telford Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday how, on 5 December, the worker was installing wall insulation on the first floor of the building when he placed a ladder across a stairwell opening to reach a top corner.

He fell from the ladder through the stairwell opening to the ground below.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found BHG (Stone) Limited had failed to properly plan the work and did not put suitable measures in place to prevent or protect against a fall from height.

The investigation also found Howells was working in close proximity to the injured worker and had allowed the work to be carried out in an unsafe manner.

Regulations require work at height to be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.

"This incident highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks associated with all work at height activities and ensuring suitable control measures are in place," said HSE Inspector Sara Andrews.

"Had the work been properly planned and sequenced, and suitable work equipment provided, this incident would not have happened."

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