Lancashire Firm Fined After 10-Metre Fall Through Fragile Roof
By Safety Desk · 06 November 2026
A construction company has been fined £20,000 after a worker fell 10 metres through a barn roof, sustaining multiple fractures due to inadequate planning and training.
A Lancashire-based landscaping and construction firm, AJ Riley Landscapes and Building Ltd, has been prosecuted following a serious incident where a worker fell through a fragile barn roof. The individual was in the process of replacing a damaged skylight when he fell approximately 10 metres, resulting in fractured ribs, vertebrae, and a broken pelvis.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the company had failed to properly plan the high-level work or install essential safety measures to prevent falls through fragile surfaces. Furthermore, the HSE found that the workforce had not been provided with sufficient training to effectively use the safety controls that were identified in the firm's own risk assessment.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. At Warrington Magistrates’ Court, they were ordered to pay a £20,000 fine along with costs exceeding £4,900. The case highlights the critical importance for procurement and safety managers to ensure that work-at-height equipment is not only provided but that staff are fully competent in its deployment.
For industrial trade customers, this serves as a stark reminder that fragile roof work requires specialised fall-arrest systems or crawling boards, and that relying on a risk assessment without verified staff training is insufficient to meet UK safety standards.
Source: Construction News