• 59-year-old father of two was killed when he fell from first floor
• The work had not been properly planned or measures put in place
• Falls from height remain leading cause of fatalities in construction industry

An Oxfordshire-based construction company has been fined £120,000 after a carpenter died when he fell through an unsafe first floor while carrying out refurbishment work.

W G Carter Limited, of Appleton, was sentenced following the death of 59-year-old Richard “Felix” Roper, who fell from height while working at a domestic property in Gloucestershire.

Mr Roper, a father of two, had been carrying out work on the first floor of Manor Barn House, Nether Westcote, on 30 August 2022, where extensive repairs were being undertaken to replace rotten floor joists and floorboards.

He had been tasked with replacing damaged floor joists while other workers removed sections of flooring in the same area. Large parts of the first-floor structure had been stripped back, leaving open gaps between joists. In addition, some joists were either missing altogether or had not been secured.

It was while working in these conditions, Mr Roper fell from the first floor to the concrete ground floor below. He sustained severe head injuries and died in hospital the following day.

A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Gloucestershire Police found that the work at height had not been properly planned, appropriately supervised, or carried out safely.

The investigation identified several serious failings. Workers, including Mr Roper, were able to access areas of the first floor where flooring and structural supports had been removed, despite there being insufficient measures in place to prevent falls. At the same time, other workers were continuing to remove floorboards, creating and increasing the risk of falling from height.

Following the incident, HSE served a Prohibition Notice, stopping further work at height until adequate safety measures had been introduced.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury with the latest statistics from HSE showing that they account for over a quarter of all work related deaths in 2025/26.

HSE guidance states what an employer must do to protect their employees from falls from height including making sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people.

The investigation found that W G Carter Limited had failed to adequately plan the work and implement suitable measures to prevent workers from falling. After the incident, the company adopted a safer method of working, installing floor joists from below using appropriate work-at-height equipment and preventing access to the first floor while the work was being undertaken.

On 24 September 2026, at Bristol Magistrates Court, W G Carter Limited, of 81A Eaton Road, Appleton, Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,247.

HSE principal inspector James Lucas said:

“Due to the failings of this company, a man lost his life.

“Every year, workers are killed or suffer life-changing injuries because work at height has not been properly planned or suitable safeguards have not been put in place.

“Had appropriate controls been in place, Felix’s death could have been prevented.”

“Our thoughts remain with Felix’s family. He was a valued colleague and a much-loved father of two who lost his life in circumstances that should never have arisen.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski, enforcement advocate Rowena Goodwin and paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.

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.

• Worker died from crush injuries after being drawn into machinery through a gap in fixed guarding.
• HSE investigation found the company had identified the risk of entrapment two months before the incident but failed to include the guarding as a control measure.
• Company fined and ordered to pay full costs after pleading guilty to breaching PUWER 1998.

Gill Aggregates Limited, which operates a site in Dagenham, East London, has been fined £24,000 after one of its workers was drawn into machinery and suffered fatal crush injuries.

Manjit Kumar, 34, was working as a production operative for Gill Aggregates Limited at its East London Aggregate Depot in Halyard Street, Dagenham, on 24 June 2020, when the incident occurred. He was operating a bag flattening conveyor system forming part of a larger piece of machinery.

Mr Kumar was drawn into the compression conveyor through an opening in the guarding. His colleagues raised the alarm and stopped the machine, and the guarding had to be dismantled so that he could be retrieved. The crush injuries were so significant that he died in hospital a few days later.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company, which provides pre-packed and loose aggregates and haulage services to builders’ merchants and the construction industry, had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery. Although a fixed guard was fitted around the compression conveyors, it contained an opening measuring approximately 600mm wide by 335mm high, which allowed access to the dangerous moving parts. Following the incident, further guarding was installed to prevent access to the compression conveyors.

The law requires that employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, or stop their movement before any part of a person enters a danger zone. The measures include fixed enclosing guards and, where these are not practicable, other guards or protection devices. Hazards from machinery should be identified as part of the risk assessment, which should identify measures to reduce the risks those hazards present.

Gill Aggregates Ltd, of Botany Marsh, Lower Road, Northfleet, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £43,000 at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 28 September 2026.

HSE Inspector Adepeju Sogadgi said:

“This was a tragic incident that resulted in Manjit losing his life.

“The risks associated with dangerous moving machinery are well known. Employers must ensure that effective measures are in place to prevent workers from gaining access to dangerous parts.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Edward Parton, supported by paralegal Anushka Lulith.

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. Relevant guidance can be found at: PUWER
5. 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.

• Worker died from crush injuries after being drawn into machinery through a gap in fixed guarding.
• HSE investigation found the company had identified the risk of entrapment two months before the incident but failed to include the guarding as a control measure.
• Company fined and ordered to pay full costs after pleading guilty to breaching PUWER 1998.

Gill Aggregates Limited, which operates a site in Dagenham, East London, has been fined £24,000 after one of its workers was drawn into machinery and suffered fatal crush injuries.

Manjit Kumar, 34, was working as a production operative for Gill Aggregates Limited at its East London Aggregate Depot in Halyard Street, Dagenham, on 24 June 2020, when the incident occurred. He was operating a bag flattening conveyor system forming part of a larger piece of machinery.

Mr Kumar was drawn into the compression conveyor through an opening in the guarding. His colleagues raised the alarm and stopped the machine, and the guarding had to be dismantled so that he could be retrieved. The crush injuries were so significant that he died in hospital a few days later.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company, which provides pre-packed and loose aggregates and haulage services to builders’ merchants and the construction industry, had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery. Although a fixed guard was fitted around the compression conveyors, it contained an opening measuring approximately 600mm wide by 335mm high, which allowed access to the dangerous moving parts. Following the incident, further guarding was installed to prevent access to the compression conveyors.

The law requires that employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, or stop their movement before any part of a person enters a danger zone. The measures include fixed enclosing guards and, where these are not practicable, other guards or protection devices. Hazards from machinery should be identified as part of the risk assessment, which should identify measures to reduce the risks those hazards present.

Gill Aggregates Ltd, of Botany Marsh, Lower Road, Northfleet, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £43,000 at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 28 September 2026.

HSE Inspector Adepeju Sogadgi said:

“This was a tragic incident that resulted in Manjit losing his life.

“The risks associated with dangerous moving machinery are well known. Employers must ensure that effective measures are in place to prevent workers from gaining access to dangerous parts.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Edward Parton, supported by paralegal Anushka Lulith.

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. Relevant guidance can be found at: PUWER
5. 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.

• 74-year-old Grace Mecaley killed after being struck by a bus while using a pedestrian crossing
• TfL failed to properly manage risks to pedestrians at Walthamstow Bus Station
• Similar collision in 2022 and five near misses recorded in the two days before Grace’s death

Transport for London (TfL) has been convicted and fined £2 million after a 74-year-old woman was struck by a bus and killed while using a pedestrian crossing at Walthamstow Bus Station.

Mrs Grace Mecaley was walking home after shopping on Walthamstow High Street on 15 December 2023 when she was struck by a double-decker bus.

At around 5pm, Mrs Mecaley was crossing the road from Rose Bank Villas at an authorised pedestrian crossing. She was around two-thirds of the way across when a number 212 bus rounded the corner and struck her.

Mrs Mecaley suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that TfL had failed to ensure pedestrians and vehicles could circulate safely at the bus station.

The crossing was positioned at the apex of a bend, where buses turned into the station. Its position and the angle at which buses approached meant drivers could turn towards the crossing without a clear view of its full length.

The ‘red carpet’ crossing was intended to give pedestrians priority. However, the layout created ambiguity over right of way and increased the risk of a collision.

TfL’s failure to manage the risks at the crossing persisted for years. Despite a pedestrian being struck by a bus in similar circumstances in April 2022, TfL failed to risk assess the crossing. CCTV footage also captured five near misses in the two days before Mrs Mecaley was killed.

HSE’s investigation also found TfL had failed to adequately monitor bus drivers operating at the station.

The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 provides guidance on keeping pedestrians and vehicles safe, including clearly marking traffic routes and avoiding sharp or blind bends where possible.

Transport for London (TfL) of 5 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching Regulation 17(1) of the Workplace Health, Safety, and Welfare Regulations 1992.

TfL was fined £2 million and ordered to pay £5081 in costs at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 25 September 2026.

Speaking at Westminster Magistrates’ Court HSE Inspector Laurence Goodacre said:

“Our deepest sympathies remain with Grace’s family who are represented here today by her son. Grace was a vibrant member of her community and her loss will be deeply felt.

“Grace was simply walking home after shopping when she was struck and killed while using an authorised pedestrian crossing.

“TfL had a responsibility to keep pedestrians safe, but its failings meant Grace never made it home.

“Grace died just days before Christmas and her family will continue to feel that loss particularly deeply at what should be a happy time of year.

“I hope today’s sentence provides them with some measure of comfort, knowing that those responsible for her death have been held to account.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement Lawyers Rebecca Schwartz and Jon Mack and paralegal officer Thomas Smith.

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 here. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/3004/regulation/17
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases are available.
4. Guidance on the organisation of traffic, including vehicles and pedestrians, as well as crossings where these road users would intersect can be found here:
   Workplace health, safety and welfare. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Approved Code of Practice and guidance L24
   Workplace transport safety HSG136
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect fines. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.

• Mick Ferris, a coach driver on his break, was killed by a falling window pane from the 26^th floor of the luxury Corniche development in London
• The Companies failed to effectively act after a near-miss one year earlier, when a window fell from the same penthouses and just missed workers.
• HSE investigation found the companies failed to properly consider the risk if the bespoke windows were left open.

Two companies have been fined a combined £1.3 million after a window unit fell from the 26^th floor of a luxury development in London, killing a coach driver on his break as he walked below.

Two of the companies involved in the design of the bespoke windows in the Corniche development on the capital’s Albert Embankment – with one weighing 130kg falling 300 feet to the ground below, killing the 53-year-old father and grandfather instantly.

The incident happened at around 10.30am on 2 October 2018 – Mick had been on a break and was just returning to his coach, which was parked up nearby.

Mick’s wife Rachel described his death as being ‘so sudden’ and ‘out of the blue

“It has made it so much worse to get used to,” she said.

“Mick was just minding his own business. One minute there, one minute gone.

“The thought this could have happened to anybody is always with me. It could have been a child.

“The fact this could have been prevented, I just can’t explain. If somebody had done something differently – anything – it would have changed our lives.

“I know it wasn’t just one person, but one person could have changed this. One person could have asked ‘can’t we do this better?’.

“What those companies did killed my husband.

“This has changed our lives. It has changed my whole outlook on everything. My life has changed forever.

“We were due to fly to the Maldives the Saturday after Mick died to celebrate our anniversary. We had half-packed suitcases in our house. It was a bucket list place for Mick and he never got to go there. We never got to go there.

“He was also a great dad and grandad – when his kids needed him, he was there.

“He loved driving coaches, having followed in his own Dad’s footsteps as a professional driver.

“Four hundred people attended his funeral – there was even a coach with his name on it. He is missed by so many it is unbelievable.”

St James Group Limited, part of the Berkeley Group, had been the developer of the Corniche, a three tower luxury development near Vauxhall Bridge, as well as the Principal Contractor and Principal Designer.  Lindner Prater Limited was a specialist company engaged by St James to design the penthouse windows.

A series of failures

At an early stage of the design process, the windows had been changed from opening inwards to opening outwards, meaning if they detached, they would fall onto a pedestrian area.  However, they were never effectively risk assessed.

The safety of the windows relied on the performance of a single restrictor, held in by a single screw, and none of the fittings had been confirmed by their manufacturers to be suitable for the bespoke curved penthouse windows.

In August 2017, more than a year before the fatal incident, a window left open in windy conditions fell from the same penthouses during construction, nearly hitting two workers. St James Limited led an internal review into the 2017 near miss, but records obtained by the HSE showed key noted areas of concern were not followed up effectively.

It was only after the second incident in 2018 and Mr Ferris’ death, that the windows were redesigned to open inward and the public walking below the penthouses were no longer at risk if a window was left open.

Sentence handed down

After a five week trial, both St James Limited, of Berkeley House, 19 Portsmouth Road, Cobham and Lindner Prater Limited of  45 London Road, Reigate, were found guilty found guilty to contravening Section 3(1) of The Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974.

At sentencing on 24 September 2026 at the Inner London Crown Court, St James was fined £1million and ordered to pay costs of £125,000 and Lindner Prater Limited was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £125,000.

HSE lead inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers said:

“Two companies – widely seen as leaders in their fields failed to respond to an obvious risk, and tragically this cost the life of a man simply going about his day.

“Both times a window fell, the wind speeds were not unusually high.”

“Even after a window had fallen in 2017, luckily just missing workers below, sufficient attention was not given to assessing the risk of the windows detaching and falling if left open in windy conditions. Too much reliance was placed on adding a small sign to the windows, in effect hoping the residents would not forget to close windows.”

“The construction industry should pay attention to this tragic case. Principal designers need to pay careful attention to clarifying exactly what services architects, designers, and consultants will provide, and then effectively monitor their performance to ensure related risks are identified and coordinate necessary improvements.

“The investigation assessed the involvement of multiple companies, thousands of documents, and highly complex technical evidence. This was followed by the wait for a Trial.

“We are grateful for Mr Ferris’ family’s understanding throughout and hope this outcome brings them some closure.”

The HSE’s investigation was carried out by HM Inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers and HM Principal Inspector James Goldfinch, and the prosecution brought by Counsel Gordon Menzies and Doug Scott, HSE Senior Enforcement Lawyer James Towey, and paralegal officer Gabrielle O’Sullivan.

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 and Wales can be found here,