Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd has been fined £300,000 plus £9,284.05 in costs by a UK court, after a 24-year-old temporary construction worker sustained serious injuries in January 2024 after falling roughly one storey through an unprotected stairwell opening. The ruling follows an investigation by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and was handed down on September 16, 2026, by Leeds Magistrates’ Court, United Kingdom.
What happened
The worker, in his second week as a temporary labourer at the time, was involved in the construction of four houses at a site then known as 1 Bretton Place, Otley Road, Guiseley, Leeds. He stepped backward and fell through a stairwell opening that had not been covered — previously installed scaffold boards had been removed without replacement covering or edge protection being installed. He suffered serious spinal injuries and lost consciousness; West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and a specialist HART rescue team had to free him. As a result of his injuries he is unable to return to physical work.
Findings
The HSE identified multiple failures in the management of work at height: the stairwell opening lacked a secure covering and no edge protection was in place. HSE Inspector Louise Redgrove concluded: “This was a wholly avoidable incident caused by basic failures in planning and supervision.” The company was found guilty of three separate offences: failing to properly plan and supervise work at height, and failing to take adequate measures to prevent falls.
Recommendations
The HSE emphasizes that employers must put physical safeguards in place — such as scaffolding, edge protection or coverings — to prevent falls through floor openings, and that such basic measures should be a standard part of planning and day-to-day supervision on every project involving work at height, regardless of the experience of the personnel carrying it out. Comparable obligations to manage fall-from-height risk apply in virtually every jurisdiction under local occupational health and safety legislation.
Source: Construction company fined after 24-year-old father falls through unprotected stairwell opening, September 21, 2026
