Norman Iveson Steel Products has been fined £100,000 after employee Jack Croft, 30, suffered life changing injuries after falling through a barn roof in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.
Director Philip Iveson was also fined after admitting culpability.
Jack Croft was working for Norman Iveson Steel Products on a project to extend the sheep barn. Roof sheets needed to be installed, bridging the gap between the old roof and new. Croft, from Bedale, was carrying out the work on 11th October 2022 when he stepped onto a fragile roof light that immediately broke under his weight. He fell from a height of around six metres.
He suffered significant life changing injuries, including five cranial fractures, 10 fractured ribs, a cranial bleed, hearing loss and fractures to his spine, eye socket, cheek, wrist and shoulder. He also suffered a collapsed left lung and a pulmonary embolism.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to implement basic working at height control measures, such as safety netting, to prevent falls from height in this area. There was netting in place on site but it did not cover the full work area and was installed by people without the sufficient skills to rig it. HSE also found a failure to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase, to ensure it was carried out in a safe manner.
Norman Iveson Steel Products Limited, of Hill Crest, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,101 at York Magistrates Court on 22 May 2025.
Phillip Iveson pleaded guilty to Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 194 and fined £1,822 and told to pay costs of £2,358.
HSE inspector Gavin Carruthers said after the hearing: “This was a tragic incident where a young man narrowly escaped death but received life changing injuries. Falls from height continue to be the leading cause of workplace death in Great Britain and this incident was fully avoidable if steps were taken to address the risks.”
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