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PHW · Construction · 2026-06-15

Roots Contractors Limited fined £19,333 after a worker was struck by collapsing timber platforms

Ewell, Surrey · Westminster Magistrates' Court

What happened

Temporary wooden platforms collapsed during a refurbishment project at a site in the City of London, depositing concrete debris on a drilling operative working beneath. Roots Contractors Limited was fined for its breach of construction design and management regulations; a second firm, Diacutt Limited, was fined separately in the same case.

Injuries: Fractured neck and back, and a brain bleed; permanently unable to work, with lasting mobility and confidence effects.

The breach

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 16(2)

The sentence

  • Fine: £19,333
  • Costs: £5,548
HSE inspector

“People rightly expect that when they go to work, they are not put in unnecessary danger.”

What would have prevented it

Temporary platforms must be designed and checked to bear their working load before anyone is allowed to work beneath them.

How PHW helps

The machines, packs and quizzes that fit this kind of site.

Sector

Training and H&S evidence for construction sites

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Safety pack

Working at height

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Safety pack

Concrete, cement and mortar

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Quiz

Could you show a site manager today, in writing, that each operator is authorised to use your machines?

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Source: HSE press release, Two firms fined after worker fractures neck during platform collapse