Company and Director Fined After Employee Injured in Rooflight Fall

A CONSTRUCTION company and its director were fined after a worker fell six metres through a rooflight while working on the roof of a sheep barn in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

Jack Croft, 30, was working for Norman Iveson Steel Products as part of a project to extend the barn. Roof sheets needed to be installed, bridging the gap between the old roof and new. Jack was carrying out the work on 11 October 2022 when he stepped onto a fragile rooflight which immediately broke under his weight.

He suffered significant life changing injuries, including five cranial fractures, 10 fractured ribs, a cranial bleed, hearing loss and fractures to his spine, eye socket, cheek, wrist and shoulder. He also suffered a collapsed left lung and a pulmonary embolism.

Failure to Implement Basic Safety Measures

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to implement basic working at height control measures, such as safety netting, to prevent falls from height in this area. The netting that was in place on site did not cover full work areas and was installed by persons without the sufficient skills to rig it.

HSE also found a failure to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase, to ensure it was carried out in a safe manner.

Company and Director Fined

Norman Iveson Steel Products Limited, of Hill Crest, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,101 at York Magistrates Court on 22 May 2025.

Phillip Iveson, a director of the company, pleaded guilty to Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 194 and fined £1,822 and told to pay costs of £2,358.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Gavin Carruthers, said: “This was a tragic incident where a young man narrowly escaped death but received life changing injuries. Falls from height continue to be the leading cause of workplace death in Great Britain and this incident was fully avoidable if steps were taken to address the risks.”

HSE guidance on how to plan and carry out work at height safely can be found here.

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