A specialist contractor with “outdated attitudes to managing health and safety” has been fined £60,000 after a worker fell to his death from a church steeple in Birmingham.
David Clover, 64, was employed by Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd to carry out restoration work to St Nicolas’ Church in Kings Norton on 13 November 2020.
Clover had been suspended from the 60m-tall steeple of the Grade I-listed building, sitting in a ‘bosun’s chair’ (a work positioning seat), when he fell, suffering fatal injuries.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identified that the bosun’s chair was not supported by a suitable backup system preventing falls, such as a double or twin-leg lanyard fall arrest harness.
Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd, which has ceased trading since the accident, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £60,000 at a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 15 January 2025.
In passing sentence, Judge Quereshi found the company had outdated attitudes to managing health and safety.
Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. HSE figures show that 50 people died as a result of a fall from height in 2023-2024.
