Builder Fined £300,000 After Labourer Falls Through Stairwell

A house builder has been fined £300,000 after a 24-year-old labourer fell through an unprotected stairwell opening and sustained serious spinal injuries.

Joseph Tuck landed on concrete after stepping backwards into an opening intended for a staircase that had not yet been installed. He had been on site for only two weeks when the incident occurred in January 2024.

Tuck was working as a temporary labourer for a scaffolding company at a site of four new domestic dwellings under construction by Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd.

The stairwell opening had not been securely covered. The open edges had no protection.

Tuck's spinal injuries kept him out of work for months. He has not returned to a physical job since the incident.

At Leeds Magistrates' Court, Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd, formerly of 1 Bretton Place, Otley Road, Guiseley, Leeds LS20 8FL, was found guilty on three charges. The firm was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £9,284.05 in costs.

Companies House records show the company went into administration days before the court hearing, raising questions over how much of the penalty will be recovered.

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."

The case is the latest in a series of HSE prosecutions centred on unprotected openings at residential construction sites, where temporary covers and edge protection remain among the most frequently cited basic safeguards.