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Construction firm fined after worker suffers horrific fall injuries
Cristina Lago Deputy Editor
A construction business has been fined £16,000 after a worker suffered critical injuries when he fell 10m through the roof of an industrial unit.
Craig Dickson, 39, from Carlisle, suffered multiple serious fractures as a result of the incident at Heathlands Industrial Estate, Kingmoor Park, Carlisle, on 25 March 2022.
Cumbrian-based CK Steelwork & Cladding Ltd was the contractor undertaking work on the roof of the building.
The unit roof where Dickson fell from (Image: HSE)
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The roof was known to be fragile and safety nets were being erected below the work area at the time of the incident. However, this work had not been completed. Despite this, Dickson was taken onto the roof by a supervisor to assess the job.
While crossing an area of the roof that was not protected by the nets, he stepped onto a weak skylight which gave way, and he fell head-first around 10m onto the concrete floor below.
Dickson shattered most of the bones in his face, hands, and wrists. He lost four teeth and severely damaged his knee. He spent six weeks in intensive care and was confined to a wheelchair for five months. Since the accident, he has endured constant pain.
Seventeen months later, Dickson is still unable to work and he will never be able to return to his former profession.
Left with severe pain, anxiety and lack of confidence
In a victim impact statement, Dickson said: “The accident broke every bone in my face and knocked out my front four teeth. This has made me have zero confidence and major anxiety, which I now have to see a psychiatrist for, every week. My nose was badly broken, which has left me with no sense of smell, and I have difficulty breathing through it.
“Before my accident I was a very physically and mentally active person and attended the gym on a daily basis and was a keen fell walker and liked to socialise. I am now left in severe pain and now have anxiety and I’m always anxious and find it hard, if not impossible to do anything like I did before the accident.”
‘A very serious incident’
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that CK Steelwork & Cladding Ltd, of Barras Lane Estate, Dalston, Carlisle, had failed to take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of workers on the roof.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £4,462.59 in costs at a hearing at Carlisle Magistrates Court on 31 August 2023.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Michael Griffiths said: “This was a very serious incident, and it is fortunate Craig wasn’t killed.
"Work on fragile roofs should be planned and controlled, otherwise there is a very high likelihood of a potentially fatal fall, or one resulting in life-changing injuries, as we have seen in this case.”
HSE guidance on working safely at height can be found here.
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