A housebuilder has been fined £300,000 after a labourer was severely injured after falling one storey onto concrete through a stairwell opening on a site in West Yorkshire.
Joseph Tuck, 24, a father of one, stepped backwards and fell through an opening intended for a staircase that had not yet been installed. He sustained serious spinal injuries in the incident and has yet to return to physical work.
Tuck was working as a temporary labourer for a scaffolding company in January 2024 at a site where four new domestic properties were being built by Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge).
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the stairwell opening had not been securely covered (previous loose scaffold boards had been removed) and the open edges were not protected.
‘Wholly avoidable incident’
HSE Inspector Louise Redgrove said: “This was a wholly avoidable incident caused by basic failures in planning and supervision. The stairwell opening was not adequately protected, and simple measures such as securing the scaffold boards or installing edge protection would have prevented Mr Tuck from falling and sustaining serious spinal injuries.”
Hillbeck Homes was found guilty on three charges: it failed to properly plan and appropriately supervise work at height and to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent a fall. It was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £9,284.05 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 16 September 2026.
