Scaffolder falls crotch-first onto metal pallet after horror 20-foot plunge from factory roof

A 26-year-old scaffolder plummeted 20 feet through a factory roof after stepping onto a skylight, landing crotch-first on the hard floor.

James Cranswick was moving materials across a warehouse rooftop in Keighley, West Yorkshire, while fitting temporary roof edge railing when he fell through the hazardous cladding.

Harrowing security camera footage shows the tradesman crashing onto a pallet truck below, sending it toppling over, before his body sharply struck the concrete warehouse floor.

The footage captures him landing with his legs splayed apart, with debris from the shattered roof raining down around him as he sat up, visibly realising the severity of his injuries.

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Fellow workers rushed to assist Mr Cranswick as he writhed in pain on the factory floor - left with a fractured arm, a broken leg, and cuts to his head.

Health and Safety Executive officials investigating the accident said the young worker was fortunate to have survived the ordeal.

Mr Cranswick had been employed by Clover Access Systems Limited at the time of the fall, moving equipment from one section of the building to another before unknowingly stepping onto the fragile panel.

The HSE confirmed the skylights were nearly invisible to the eye, with no warning of any weak points in the roof structure relayed to the scaffolder.

An investigation launched by the HSE uncovered significant failings by two firms responsible for the work.

Inspectors determined Clover Access Systems Limited and maintenance contractor STM360 Limited had both neglected to properly plan, manage or oversee the scaffolding operation at the site.

The probe revealed that neither company had implemented any protective measures to stop workers falling from the building's edge, nor through fragile sections of the roof.

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Official HSE guidance sets out a clear protocol for working near delicate surfaces, with the primary requirement being to eliminate the need for access to fragile rooftops wherever possible.

The two companies appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court on June 4, where they were ordered to pay a combined total of £79,300 in fines.

Clover Access Systems Limited admitted breaching Regulation 15 of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, and received a £26,000 fine plus £2,866 in costs.

The firm has since entered liquidation.

Menawhile, STM360 Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13 of the same legislation, and was fined £53,300 with £3,167 in costs.

HSE Inspector Shauna Halstead said: "Mr Cranswick is lucky to be alive after this incident.

"His fall was wholly avoidable - the risks associated with work on, or around fragile surfaces are well-known, and HSE guidance is available to assist companies in complying with the law.

“Everyone working in construction should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action where roof work is not properly managed, as workers should not be needlessly put in harm’s way.”

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