• Man fell through fragile roof light.
• He had to be rescued by firefighters after becoming impaled.
• HSE guidance about working at height is available.

Two companies have been fined after a man fell through a fragile rooflight at a factory in Keighley, impaling his leg on machinery below.

A.T. Lee Properties Limited and LJH Property Limited were fined a combined total of more than £95,000 following a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Directors for each firm were also given conditional discharges and ordered to pay prosecution costs.

The man suffered leg injuries after falling at Cirteq Ltd, Hayfield Mills, Colne Road, Glusburn in Keighley, on 8 July 2022.

He had been over-cladding an existing asbestos cement roof with two other operatives when he stepped onto a fragile rooflight, causing him to fall through and narrowly miss a machine operator working below. Firefighters were called to assist in rescuing the worker, who had landed on machinery, impaling his leg. Despite the horrific circumstances, he sustained relatively minor injuries.

The HSE investigation found that principal contractor A.T. Lee Properties Limited failed to ensure the works were properly planned, and that neither they nor their sub-contractor, LJH Property Limited, had effective preventative and protective measures in place to control the risks associated with roof work. They also failed to ensure that the correct equipment and tools were in place to undertake the work safely.

Sub-contractor LJH Property Limited failed to properly plan, supervise, or ensure the work was carried out safely, and its assessment of the risks arising from the work was both unsuitable and insufficient.

HSE has guidance for those planning work at height and how it can be carried out safely, including the preventative measures required is available. Introduction to working at height safely – HSE.

Further guidance is available for those undertaking the role of a Principal Contractor – Principal contractors: roles and responsibilities – HSE.

A.T. Lee Properties Limited, of Leardene House, Draughton, Skipton, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £47,783 and ordered to pay £2,386 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 1 October 2025.

Company director Neil Cryer pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the same Act. He received a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £2,369 in costs.

LJH Property Limited, of  Moorfield Drive, Baildon, Shipley pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Act. The company was fined £47,818 and ordered to pay £2,518 in costs.

Company director Luke Hudson pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the same Act. He received a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £23,69 in costs.

HSE principal inspector Paul Thompson, who investigated the incident, said:

“People working on the roof and those working below within the factory were placed at serious risk. Had the man just a short distance either side of where he was impaled, this could have been a wholly different outcome.

“Work at height continues to be the leading cause of workplace fatalities, and had this work been planned, managed, and monitored to a sufficient standard by all parties involved, then this incident should not have occurred.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Jonathan Bambro, supported by HSE Paralegal Officer Helen Hugo.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Product Safety report updated today, Friday 10 October
• HSE investigating possible link with incident in South Wales
• Regulator has “significant concerns” about the safe use of the machines in question

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urgently asking all companies using similar printing machinery to that involved in a recent industrial explosion to consult guidance published last year and updated today, Friday 10 October 2025.

A sublimation calender machine manufactured by Diferro was in use at a printers on the Groundwell Industrial Estate, Swindon, where the explosion took place at around 7.30pm on Wednesday 24 September. Thankfully, nobody was injured.

Following the incident, HSE, acting in its role as the market surveillance authority, has directly contacted all known users instructing them to ensure they have referenced this guidance and cease operations if they are in any doubt.

The regulator is attempting to identify any other users of machines believed to have been sold by two known distributors, and is taking steps to prevent any other Diferro machines coming into the country via liaison with UK border officials.

HSE is investigating the design of the machine in question and a possible link with a similar explosion in South Wales at the Treforest Industrial Estate, Rhondda Cynon Taff, in 2023, which resulted in the death of a director of a neighbouring food laboratory business.

Following this incident, HSE worked with the Office for Product Safety Standards (OPSS), to produce a key alert, known as a Product Safety Report, relating to the machinery involved.

Following the recent incident in Swindon, HSE has reviewed the Product Safety Report and has today made key additions. This includes reinforcing the advice that the device should not be left unattended when connected to the power supply.

Further revisions include the instruction to cease operating these machines until a second independent Safety-Related Control System (SRCS) has been installed by a competent person and validated to appropriate standards.

Luke Messenger, Head of Technical Product Safety at HSE said: “We have significant concerns about the safe use of these machines. The guidance issued following the Treforest Industrial Estate incident has clear instructions – revisions to this have been published today and we will continue to share any further updates.

“We never want to see a repeat of the fatality in 2023 or the recent catastrophic explosion in Swindon.”

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. In this case we are acting in our role as the Market Surveillance Authority.
3. The HSE investigation is specifically related to the design of the machine in question and a possible link with the incident in South Wales. A decision on whether to open an investigation into the causes of the Swindon explosion itself will be made in due course, in line with our well-established incident selection criteria.
4. HSE now has primacy in the investigation relating to the incident at the Treforest Industrial Estate in 2023.
5. The Product Safety Report was first published in April 2024 and has been updated today.

A Middlesbrough man has been given a suspended prison sentence after carrying out illegal gas work.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Neil Burton carried out boiler services in a home in Stockton-on-Tees on two occasions, in May 2021 and April 2022. Although Burton had previously been on the Gas Safe Register, he had allowed his membership and qualifications to lapse. A subsequent review of the boiler identified defects which meant it was classed as a risk and a danger.

Burton, 41, also carried out work at a house in Middlesbrough in September 2022 and October 2023. These works included disconnecting a gas hob and installing a new one, as well as disconnecting a gas fire. As he had done previously, he carried out this work while not registered to do so. He had also been subject of previous action taken by HSE, when carrying out illegal gas work in 2015.

Neil Burton, of Harrogate Crescent, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 3(1) and 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 7 October 2025.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Darian Dundas said:

“All gas work must be carried out by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met and to prevent injury or loss of life.

“The public should always ask to see a gas engineer’s identification and check their registration number online.”

Gas engineers and consumers can contact the Gas Safe Register in any of these ways:

• Website: Gas Safe Register
• Phone: Consumers – 0800 408 5500; Engineers – 0800 408 5577
• Email: enquiries@gassaferegister.co.uk

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

To mark World Mental Health Day 2025, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging employers to go beyond raising awareness and take practical steps to prevent work-related stress. 

In 2023/24, approximately half of all self-reported cases of work-related ill health in Great Britain—whether new or ongoing—were linked to stress, depression, or anxiety, according to data from the Labour Force Survey and HSE statistics. On average, each affected worker took 19.6 days off due to these conditions. The impact on businesses is significant – increased absence, reduced productivity, and higher staff turnover. 

Take action 

Kayleigh Roberts, Work-Related Stress Policy Lead at HSE, said: “This World Mental Health Day, we’re asking employers to keep talking – but start doing. We regularly hear from businesses struggling with rising absence, falling performance, and high staff turnover – often caused by preventable stress at work. 

“The good news is that even small changes can make a big difference. Taking steps like reviewing workloads, enhancing communication, or giving staff greater autonomy can lead to improved wellbeing and stronger business performance. The organisations that thrive are those that address the root causes of stress before they escalate into a crisis.” 

Support that works 

HSE’s Working Minds campaign now includes 36 partners, reinforcing that mental health is a business priority, not just a moral responsibility. 

The campaign’s five steps – Reach out, Recognise, Respond, Reflect, and make it Routine – offer employers a clear framework to manage the six key causes of work-related stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role clarity, and change management. 

More than 18,000 business leaders have already accessed HSE’s free online learning platform, with 94% saying they now feel confident in applying what they’ve learned. 

Make a practical change today 

This World Mental Health Day, commit to one change your business can make right now. Start with any of these practical steps: 

• review workloads and deadlines 

• improve communication and feedback 

• use our Talking Toolkit to support conversations 

• complete a stress risk assessment using our templates 

• encourage managers to complete our free training module 

Visit our Work Right website to access tools, templates, and free training. 

The time to act is now. Protecting mental health is good for your people – and good for your business. 

• Workers put at risk of serious injury.
• Inspector slams contractor for showing “complete contempt” for workers’ safety
• HSE guidance is available on safe working from height and demolition.

A London contractor has been given a suspended prison sentenced after risking the lives of workers and ignoring action taken by Britain’s workplace regulator.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ordered Mohammed Mehdi Ali to stop working at a construction site in Willesden on 7 September 2018. Inspectors visited the Willesden Lane site and found unplanned, unsupervised and unsafe work was putting people at serious risk of injury.

Workers had been identified working on the roof area where they were at serious risk of falling from a height as no measures to protect them were in place. Unplanned and unsafe demolition work had also left the building structure at risk of collapse.

Despite the prohibition notice being served against him, Mr Ali ignored it and the work continued as before, putting the lives of those working on the site at risk. Mr Ali, of Barn Hill in Wembley, also failed to turn up at court to face justice in 2021 and as a result a warrant was issued for his arrest. It was only thanks to intelligence from the local community that the police arrested him and the court proceedings could finally resume. He has now been given a suspended 20-week custodial sentence and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Not only did the HSE investigation find that Mr Ali disregarded the prohibition notice, but also that he failed to put in place measures to ensure the health and safety of people at his construction site.

The law requires employers to carry out their legal duty to protect persons’ health and safety at the workplace by ensuring that construction work is adequately planned, managed, and monitored and appropriately supervised.

Falls from height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height. In law, demolition work is treated the same as any other construction work. Workers must be supervised and follow safe working practices. HSE guidance on demolition is available.

Mr Ali pleaded guilty to committing an offence under s33(1)(g) of HSWA by breaching a prohibition notice and continuing to carry on the work without suitable and sufficient measures in place thereby exposing his workers to serious risk of personal injury. He was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work as well as 10 days of rehabilitation. He was also ordered to pay £12,151 in costs.

HSE inspector Saif Deen said: “Mr Ali not only ignored HSE and the criminal justice system, he showed complete contempt for the safety of workers.

“The law requires employees to ensure the health and safety of persons at their workplace. Employers have a responsibility to ensure that everyone on a building site is safe.

“We will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to comply with HSE enforcement and continue to put their workers at risk.

“Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace death and injury.

“We would like to thank the local community for ensuring justice was done, which helps to keep people safe.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes and paralegal officer David Shore.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England can be found here and those for Scotland here.