A significant safety oversight led to a life-changing accident for a construction worker.
- Andrew Clifford fell from a height while working alone, leading to paralysis.
- The contractor, Paul Freeman Ltd, was fined £40,000 due to inadequate safety measures.
- HSE highlighted the preventable nature of the accident and the lack of planning.
- The incident is part of a larger concern about falls from height in construction.
An incident that has raised alarms in the construction industry involved Andrew Clifford, a subcontractor from Chesterfield, whose life was irreversibly altered after a tragic fall. While working on a first-floor extension, Clifford fell through the roof of a house, leading to paralysis from the chest down and limited movement in his hands and arms.
Clifford was working alone at the site on Main Road, Dronfield, when he slipped and fell to the ground floor, remaining there for approximately six hours until discovered by a delivery driver. This harrowing experience was compounded by a lack of proper planning and safety measures at the site, as determined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The HSE’s investigation found Paul Freeman Ltd seriously lacking in its responsibility to ensure safe working conditions. The company failed to plan work at height adequately, neglected to implement preventive measures, and provided no instructions to Clifford on safely executing his tasks. Consequently, Clifford was left to improvise, which tragically contributed to the catastrophic accident.
In a poignant statement released by the HSE, Clifford expressed the profound impact on his daily life. He lamented how he can no longer engage in activities he once enjoyed, such as gardening and car maintenance, and needs assistance for personal care tasks. His living situation has also been affected, having to sleep separately from his family on the ground floor of his home.
HSE inspector Sara Andrews emphasised the transformative and preventable nature of the incident on Clifford’s and his family’s lives. She stressed the essential need for rigorous risk assessments for all work conducted at heights and enforcing safety controls to minimise risks of severe injury.
The case exemplifies broader safety concerns within the construction sector, where falls from height have been identified as a leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries. HSE’s data for 2022/23 indicated a significant number of lives lost due to such falls, underscoring the imperative for improved safety measures and awareness.
This incident underscores the critical need for enhanced safety protocols to prevent further tragedies.
