8th January 2025
Company Fined After Employee Falls From Height

What’s Happened
A company has recently been fined £120,000 after an employee broke his leg while working on a property in Salisbury.
The man, who was 23 at the time, fell from the roof of a house whilst installing solar panels for a renewables company. He had been adjusting a solar panel when he slid and fell four metres onto the ground below, sustaining a broken femur as a result.
HSE Investigation
With the severity of the employee’s injury, the incident was reportable as a ‘specified injury’ under RIDDOR. Therefore, an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation ensued.
Inspectors discovered that the employer had not properly planned the work at height, and had failed to take suitable steps to prevent a fall. The homeowner hired the company to move nine solar panels higher up on the roof.
The company was prosecuted as a result of the breaches. They appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court on 23rd December 2024 where a guilty plea was entered to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay £4,716 in costs
After the verdict, the HSE inspector involved in the case remarked that the company did not properly plan this work so it could be carried out in a safe manner. There were inadequate means of protecting the workers from falling off the roof, with the company failing to provide edge protection.
Work at Height
Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries.
Employers must make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people with the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job. They must use the right type of equipment for working at height.
The first step before any work is carried out is to assess and control the risks considering the:
- height of the task
- duration and frequency
- condition of the surface being worked on
The Hierarchy of controls should be utilised as follows:
- avoid work at heights where it’s reasonably practicable to do so
- where work at height cannot be easily avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment
- where the risk cannot be eliminated, minimise the distance and consequences of a fall by using the right type of equipment
If you have any queries on work at height, risk assessments or training then don’t hesitate to call our adviceline on 0300 3035228 or email us at info@lighthouseriskservices.co.uk
Appoint Lighthouse As Your Health & Safety Competent Person
The competent person role does not have to be fulfilled internally within every company. You can, therefore, outsource the appointment to a contractor or consultancy with the necessary qualifications and experience.