An event structure company and its director have been sentenced after an employee suffered severe, life-changing injuries while dismantling an internal steel frame.
Employee was struck by a steel beam weighing more than 100kg
Natalie McCreith, 38, sustained multiple fractures to her back, a punctured lung and a broken leg when a steel beam weighing more than 100kg fell onto her.
Ms McCreith, a former outdoor sports instructor, had worked for iSkate Limited for 14 years when the incident occurred at Beaverbrook Hotel & Golf Course in Leatherhead, Surrey, on 26 June 2024.
She underwent an 11-hour operation and spent three months in hospital. She continues to recover from her injuries.
The incident happened while workers were dismantling a temporary steel beam structure. A ratchet strap was being used to lower the beam, despite not being designed for lifting or lowering loads.
The strap failed, causing the beam to fall onto Ms McCreith.
Neil Munn, director of iSkate Limited, was on site and decided that the ratchet strap should be used. He also instructed employees where to stand while the work was carried out.
The method continued even after Ms McCreith raised concerns about whether it was safe.
In a victim personal statement, Ms McCreith said:
“Since the accident, my life has been completely turned upside down. It is now the polar opposite of what it once was.
“I will never live the life I once had or be in a body that isn’t screaming at me all day. I wish I could turn back time.
“My family spent the journey from Liverpool to London thinking I was dead. They have had to watch someone they love go through agonising pain and continue to do so.
“I am not the person I once was. I can’t be everything I once was, and for them this journey also continues.”
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that iSkate Limited had failed to ensure the dismantling work was properly planned and carried out safely.
HSE guidance states that arrangements for demolition or dismantling work should be recorded in writing before work begins. A safe system of work, which may take the form of a method statement, should identify the sequence of work needed to prevent the structure from collapsing accidentally.
iSkate Limited, of Norfolk House, Station Road, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 16(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, by virtue of Regulation 20(1).
At Guildford Magistrates’ Court on 28 July 2026, the company was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £6,949 in costs.
Neil Munn pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, by virtue of Regulation 16(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and Regulation 20(1).
He was given a community order requiring him to complete 75 hours of unpaid work.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Russell Beckett said:
“Demolition and dismantling is a high-hazard work activity, but if the work is properly planned, it can be carried out safely.
“This incident has had a devastating effect on Ms McCreith and could easily have been prevented if the correct work equipment had been used.”
The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Will Bodiam, supported by paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.
This story was originally published by HSE Media Centre.
