Three UK companies have been fined after separate incidents left workers with life-altering injuries, cases that reveal persistent failures in basic health and safety practices across construction, manufacturing and agriculture.
The prosecutions, brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), highlight the real consequences for organisations that fail to manage workplace risks, with workers left seriously injured and lives upended.
Worker Suffers Spinal Injuries in Fall From Roof
Two Shrewsbury-based companies were fined after a worker fell through a roof during extension work on a home in the town, suffering fractures to his spine and ribs.
The accident occurred on 9 December 2022, when Roofrite (Shropshire) Limited was installing the roof, subcontracted by principal contractor Harding and Houlston Building Contractors Limited.
An investigation by HSE found that although external scaffolding had been erected, there were no internal safety measures to prevent falls through the roof opening. The work had not been properly planned, and suitable instructions had not been provided to workers.
Roofrite pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £8,000 with £2,990 in costs. Harding and Houlston pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined £500 with the same costs. The case was heard at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on 19 May 2025.
“Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death,” said HSE inspector Sara Andrews.
“This incident highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough assessment of the risks for all work at height activities. Suitable control measures, such as internal crash deck, should also be implemented to minimise the risk of serious personal injury.”
She added that “principal contractors must ensure such control measures are in place throughout the duration of the work”.
Worker’s Finger Amputated After Machinery Accident
In another case, a manufacturing worker at Film & Foil Solutions Ltd in St Helens lost part of his right index finger after it became entangled in a rotating shaft of a poorly guarded machine.
The accident happened on 4 December 2023 as the employee tried to prevent the machine’s material from tangling. In doing so, he made contact with a rotating part, resulting in injuries so severe that surgery was required the following day to amputate part of the finger.
“I was unable to carry out normal daily tasks such as tying my shoelaces,” the man said. “My right hand is my dominant hand and I find it extremely difficult to write with that hand now. I am now self-conscious when I go outside.”
He said his family had also been affected by his injury and that he was “unable to do normal things I used to be able to do before. As a result of the injury I feel my job prospects have been affected, both now and in the future”.
HSE found the company had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment and did not provide adequate guarding, training or instructions for safe machine use.
Film & Foil Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £2,932 in costs at Sefton Magistrates’ Court on 15 May 2025.
HSE inspector Sam Eves said that accident could “easily have been avoided” had the firm implemented safety measures around the machinery. “Companies and individuals should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards,” he said.
Young Farm Worker Crushed in Harvester Incident
The third case involved a 20-year-old employee of LP Ollier & Son, who suffered devastating leg injuries after being caught in a potato harvester on 18 October 2023.
While attempting to assess a blockage, the roller mechanism caught and pulled his leg into the machine, causing crushing injuries, fractures, nerve and skin damage. He has been unable to return to work in agriculture since.
HSE investigators found that the guard gates were open and the machine had not been isolated. The farming partnership had failed to follow the required ‘safe stop’ procedure or provide a safe system of work.
LP Ollier & Son pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £20,000, given a £2,000 victim surcharge and ordered to pay £5,110.80 in costs at Warrington Magistrates’ Court.
“All too often, serious and sometimes fatal incidents occur as a result of inadequate systems of work in relation to potato harvesters,” said HSE inspector Joseph Wright.
“Had the partnership ensured a suitable safe system of work was followed when blockages occurred, these life-changing injuries would not have occurred,” he said.