Construction firm fined after worker paralysed after fall from height

A contractor has been fined £40,000 after one of its workers was paralysed falling through the roof of a house, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A statement from HSE said that Andrew Clifford, a sub-contractor from Chesterfield and father of three fell from height while helping to construct a first floor extension.

He was working alone on the site in October 2022 when he slipped and fell to the ground floor, leaving him paralysed from the chest down, with only limited movement in his hands and arms.

The HSE said its investigation had found that Paul Freeman Ltd had “failed to ensure that work at height had been properly planned”, did not implement any measures to prevent falls from height, and did not provide Clifford with any instructions on how to carry the work out.

“[He] was therefore left to work this out on his own,” the HSE statement said.

Clifford was installing first floor joists to the site on Main Road in Dronfield, which he was doing alone. After he fell at around 9am, he remained face down on the ground for approximately six hours before he was found by a delivery driver.

The HSE released a statement from Clifford who described how he could not “do anything [he] used to love doing before”, like gardening, washing the car and doing odd jobs around the house. He is also not able to wash or dress himself.

“I haven’t been upstairs in my house since the accident – my wife and three daughters all sleep upstairs and I sleep alone downstairs,” he added.

HSE inspector Sara Andrews said Clifford's life and those of his family have “changed dramatically as a result of this preventable incident”.

“This case highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities and the need to ensure that, where work at height cannot be avoided, suitable control measures are implemented to minimise the risk of serious injury,” she added.

“This is even more significant when lone working.”

According to the HSE statement, Paul Freeman Ltd of Synergy House,  Acorn Business Park, Commercial Gate, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty Derby Magistrates Court to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The firm was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,263.

Data published by the HSE shows that 45 construction workers lost their lives through accidents in 2022/23, of which 25 were caused by a fall from height.

In April Construction News examined how survivors of falls from height are supported in the industry, and what is being done to increase awareness around working from height incidents.