Last reviewed: 20 July 2026. Figures and rules can change – always confirm on the official links.

Six-figure fines for workplace falls from height are now routine in the UK, with the HSE and the courts continuing to impose substantial penalties on employers who fail to control the risk. Falls from height remain the most common cause of workplace fatalities in the UK, accounting for over a quarter of all work-related deaths in 2025/26—31 fatalities in total. Recent sentences include a £600,000 fine in November 2025 and a £250,000 penalty for Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd at Teesside Crown Court on 31 October 2025. If your risk assessments, edge protection or safe systems of work are not up to standard, your business is at serious risk of prosecution.

For employers in Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford and Dereham, the message is clear: work at height must be properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 remain the legal framework, and the definitive sentencing guidelines that came into force on 1 February 2016 ensure that fines are sufficiently substantial to have a real economic impact on both management and shareholders.

What the Law Requires

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 aim to prevent death and injury from a fall from height. Work at height means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Employers and those in control of any work at height activity must ensure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people.

This is not confined to construction sites. The HSE has prosecuted businesses across sectors, and even a charitable academy trust was fined £32,000 at Warrington Magistrates Court on 14 July 2026 after a site supervisor fell from height (the fine was significantly reduced due to the organisation’s non-profit status, but the prosecution still proceeded).

Six-Figure Fines for Workplace Falls from Height

The courts have imposed the following penalties in the last 12 months:

• £600,000 in November 2025 for pallet safety failures
• Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd: £250,000 at Teesside Crown Court on 31 October 2025
• J Smith Construction Services Limited: £80,000 at Southampton Magistrates Court on 4 December 2025 for a fall through a fragile skylight
• STM360 Limited: £53,300 in June 2026
• Lima Construction Limited: £50,000 at Westminster Magistrates Court on 18 June 2026 for a fatal fall through an unglazed window

Lower-range fines have also been imposed, but they still represent a significant cost to the businesses involved:

• Romero Catholic Academy Trust: £32,000 at Warrington Magistrates Court on 14 July 2026
• A construction company: £33,500 at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on 31 October 2025 after a man died following a fall from height
• A construction company: £24,000 at Southwark Crown Court on 13 February 2026
• Sibbasbridge Limited: £16,000 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 29 June 2026
• Woodhorn Group Limited: £14,000 at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 16 March 2026

Director Liability and Custodial Sentences

Directors are personally at risk. In December 2025, a company director was given a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Southampton Magistrates Court. In September 2025, a director received a 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Bolton Magistrates Court. In June 2026, an uninsured business owner was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told to complete 260 hours of unpaid work.

Would your documentation protect you if the HSE arrived tomorrow? The courts heard that common causes of falls are ladders and fragile roofs, and that a fall of six feet was enough to cause a death.

Typical Failures Identified by HSE

HSE investigations have repeatedly found:

• Failure to provide edge protection or other means to prevent or mitigate falls
• Lack of a standalone work at height risk assessment or safe system of work
• Failure to arrange for scaffolding to be erected at open edges
• Inadequate arrangements to prevent or mitigate falls through fragile areas

These are not obscure or technical breaches. They are fundamental failures that can be identified—and corrected—with competent advice and working at height training.

What Norfolk Employers Must Do Now

If your business involves any work at height—roofing, maintenance, warehousing, construction, facilities management—you must:

• Conduct a specific risk assessment for work at height, separate from your general risk assessment
• Ensure all work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent persons
• Provide edge protection, guardrails, scaffolding or other physical means to prevent falls
• Identify and protect fragile surfaces (skylights, roofing sheets, glass panels)
• Train your workforce in the risks and the controls, and keep records
• Review and update your safe system of work after any incident, near miss or change in the work

We deliver working at height training at our Wymondham training centre and on your site across Norfolk. Our CMIOSH-qualified consultants can review your risk assessments, safe systems of work and competence records, and identify what needs to be in place before the HSE does.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as work at height?

Work at height means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. This includes ladders, scaffolding, roofs, mezzanines, and any raised platform or edge.

Do the Work at Height Regulations apply to small businesses?

Yes. The law applies to all employers and the self-employed. The HSE has prosecuted sole traders, small construction firms and large organisations alike. The fine will be proportionate to turnover, but prosecution and reputational damage affect businesses of all sizes.

What is the maximum fine for a work at height offence?

Fines are unlimited. The sentencing guidelines require the fine to be sufficiently substantial to have a real economic impact on management and shareholders. Six-figure fines are now routine for larger organisations, and even smaller businesses face five-figure penalties.

Can a director be sent to prison for a work at height breach?

Yes. Directors have received custodial sentences, suspended in recent cases, but the threat of immediate imprisonment is real if the breach is sufficiently serious or if there is a repeat offence. Directors can also be disqualified.

What should I do if I think our work at height controls are inadequate?

Stop the work if there is immediate danger. Commission a competent risk assessment and safe system of work. Train or re-train your workforce. Document everything. The cost of getting it right is a fraction of the cost of a prosecution—or a fatality.

Get Your Risk Assessments and Training Right

Falls from height are preventable. The law is clear, the HSE is active, and the courts are imposing penalties that can threaten the survival of your business. If you need a work at height risk assessment, a safe system of work review, or accredited training for your team in Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford or Dereham, contact us today.

We have been advising Norfolk businesses since 1978. Our consultancy team holds CMIOSH and MIIRSM qualifications, and we deliver all training at our purpose-built centre in Wymondham or on your site. Call us on 01953 607093 or visit our consultancy page to arrange a review.