Skyladder Construction Limited had been constructing a single-storey extension with a flat roof when, on 20th July 2022, it began to rain. Workers returned to the site in the evening to cover the new roof with a tarpaulin, secured with logs, when Bhakta Rai fell through a hole intended for the skylight.

He fell 2.5 metres onto a concrete floor below but instead of an ambulance being called he was transported to hospital in a van. He died a few days later after sustaining significant injuries, including a spinal fracture, fractured skull, possible bleed on the brain, and swelling to the head.

A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Skyladder Construction Limited failed to take suitable measures to prevent, as far as reasonably practicable, any person falling from the roof.

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There were no physical measures in place at the edges of the building or around the skylight openings to prevent a fall, and no measures to mitigate the distance or impact of a fall.

The company also did not respond to requests from the HSE for information.

Skyladder Construction Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Work at Height Regulations 2005 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £33,500, ordered to pay £8,472 in costs, and a £2,000 victim surcharge at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on 31 October 2025.

“Falls when working at height remain the most common kind of workplace fatality, accounting for around a quarter of all worker deaths,” said Jenny Morris, HSE inspector.

“In this case, this was a wholly avoidable incident — Mr Rai died in a fall which should never have been able to happen.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Rebecca Schwartz and Paralegal Officer Helen Hugo.