A Buckinghamshire-based contractor has been fined after a worker suffered life-changing injuries in a fall from height during refurbishment work in London.
What happened
The incident took place on 5 August 2021 during a refurbishment project in Islington, where Bow Tie Construction Limited was converting an existing domestic property and a former handbag factory into a single dwelling.
As part of the build, a new concrete staircase was planned between the ground and first floors. Temporary timber formwork was needed to create the staircase structure. The worker, along with two colleagues, had been instructed by the company’s director and acting site manager, Rafael Delimata, to build the formwork.
While standing on the top of a stepladder and using a gas-powered nail gun, the worker fell around 1.65 metres to the floor below.
Injuries sustained
The fall caused multiple serious injuries, including crush injuries to both elbows requiring several operations, a fractured forearm, dislocated wrists, and injuries to the right leg and left knee.
HSE findings
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the company had not put a safe system of work in place for work at height during the staircase construction.
Inspectors also identified broader failings in how work at height was being managed on site. These included inadequate edge protection, tower scaffolds that were not assembled correctly, staircases without edge protection, and uncontrolled use of ladders.
Crucially, these issues continued despite an earlier HSE visit on 2 July 2021, when the contractor was served with a Prohibition Notice relating to unsafe work at height.
Court outcome
Bow Tie Construction Limited, of Cliveden Office Village, Lancaster Road, High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay £4,101 in costs at Southwark Crown Court on 13 February 2026.
HSE Inspector Emma Bitz said: “The risks associated with working at height are well known, and this incident could have easily been prevented.”
What this means for employers
Work at height remains a persistent cause of serious harm in construction, and this case is a reminder that enforcement action can follow where basic controls are missing.
Key takeaways for dutyholders include:
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Plan work at height properly and use the right access equipment for the task, not whatever is quickest on the day.
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Put a clear safe system of work in place for short-duration tasks too, including formwork, stair cores and temporary works.
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Ensure edge protection is installed wherever there is a foreseeable fall risk, and make sure scaffold towers are correctly erected and inspected.
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Control ladder use through supervision, training and task-specific rules, particularly where powered tools are involved.
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Treat enforcement notices as a stop point, not a warning. If a Prohibition Notice is served, work must not restart until risks are properly controlled.
HSE guidance on planning and carrying out work at height safely is available on its website.
