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Iftikhar Mughal, 64, was working for WH Metals Limited on 22^nd November 2022, installing a metal sign to the front of a computer shop in Darwen, Lancashire.

He was standing on the platform of a low-level scaffolding tower without any edge protection in place when he fell to the pavement below.

Although the height he fell from was only six feet, it was enough for him to suffer serious head injuries that resulted in him being taken to hospital by ambulance. He died from his injuries four days later.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that WH Metals Limited and its director, who was on site at the time of the incident, failed to prevent the risk of a fall from a distance liable to cause personal injury.

The preferred method of fall prevention on tower scaffolds is the fitting of suitable guardrails around the platform. If these had been in place, it is highly unlikely that the worker in this case would have died, the HSE said

WH Metals Limited of Navigation Way, Preston, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £45,000. The company was also ordered to pay costs of £4,826.21 and a victim surcharge of £2,000.

Waqas Hanif, the company’s director, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was given a 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay costs of £4,846.21 and a victim surcharge of £154.

HSE inspector David Hobbs said: “Work at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death. In this case, a fall of six feet was enough to cause a death, highlighting the dangers.

“This incident highlights the importance of suitable control measures, such as edge protection, to minimise the risk of serious personal injury.”

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