Academy trust fined £32,000 after man suffered life-changing injuries while collecting footballs from school roof

A multi-academy trust overseeing 16 schools across the North West of England has been fined £32,000 after a workplace accident left an employee with life-changing injuries.

Romero Catholic Academy Trust appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court on July 14, where representatives of the body admitted breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The incident occurred at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Burnley on September 2, 2024, where site supervisor Robert Baker fell from the building's roof onto a concrete playground below.

Mr Baker had climbed to the roof using a ladder that was not properly secured, hoping to retrieve footballs while pupils were away on an inset day.

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After the rickety ladder gave way, he fell from the rooftop and landed on the hard surface of the playground.

A passer-by discovered Mr Baker lying on the ground shortly after the fall, which caused him severe trauma, including brain bleeding and multiple fractures to his face, hand and foot.

These injuries have had lasting consequences for his daily functioning, and he continues to struggle with memory loss, speech difficulties and problems performing routine cognitive tasks such as operating household appliances.

In a statement, Mr Baker said: "The effects of the subdural hematoma have had a significant and ongoing impact on my daily life.

"My recovery has been extremely difficult. At one point, doctors were unsure whether I would survive and if I did they couldn't say if I would ever walk again."

Beyond the negligence fine issued at court, the Padiham-based trust was also ordered to pay £6,360 in compensation costs to the site manager.

Prior to the accident, Mr Baker was an active member of a car club and regularly enjoyed seeing shows - activities he has now abandoned due to concentration problems after the accident.

He has also expressed concern about his future employment prospects and the potential impact on his family.

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The Health and Safety Executive investigation revealed that the school roof lacked any edge protection or other safeguards to prevent falls.

Furthermore, the trust had failed to establish a dedicated risk assessment or safe working procedures for tasks at height.

HM Inspector Derek McLauchlan stated: "This was a tragic incident that will have a lifelong impact on Mr Baker. Proper planning, assessment of the risks and control measures should be implemented."

He added: "This incident could have been avoided had these been in place."

According to HSE statistics, falls from height remain the primary cause of workplace fatalities, responsible for more than a quarter of all work-related deaths in 2025/26.

Councils across the UK have been fined more than £10million for breaking health and safety rules since the start of the decade, a GB News audit revealed earlier this year.

The People's Channel examined Health and Safety Executive data and uncovered that 36 breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 have been recorded from the beginning of 2020 until April, totalling £11,406,107 in costs to the various councils.

A recent conviction came earlier this year in April, when Bassetlaw District Council was fined £50,000 after a workplace accident left a grounds maintenance worker with serious injuries at a churchyard.

An HSE spokesman said: "Britain remains one of the safest countries in the world to work in.

"But when those responsible for health and safety fail to protect people, we will take action, which includes using our powers to prosecute."

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