A demolition contractor has been fined £134,000 after two men fell 7m at a derelict nightclub, suffering serious injuries.
Features
Demolition firm fined after worker cracks skull and second man breaks back in fall
By
on 01 February 2019
Cheshire Demolition and Excavation Contractors Limited was demolishing the derelict nightclub in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, when the incident happened on 15 November 2016.
Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how the two workers had climbed into a pick bin, lifted by an excavator arm. When it suddenly released, both men were ejected from the bin and fell onto a pile of bricks and rubble. One worker suffered a fractured skull, and a second worker sustained a broken back.
The company, of Moss Lane, Macclesfield, was fined with £6,303.04 for breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was ordered to pay £6,303.04 costs.
HSE found in its investigation that Cheshire Demolition and Excavation Contractors Limited did not properly plan the work and failed to provide suitable access equipment.
The company had provided a scissor lift on site, but decided to remove it from the site prior to the incident. The operatives had no other means of accessing areas at height.
Investigating HSE inspector David Argument said: “These risks could so easily have been avoided if the work at height was properly planned and appropriately supervised. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards”.
FEATURES
Confined spaces: why training is key to keeping workers safe
By Adam Barker, Draeger Safety UK on 22 September 2026
Suitable training plays an essential role in preventing fatalities and dangerous situations during work in confined, hazardous spaces like tanks, silos and sewers, but it’s essential that any course selected genuinely reflects the specific tasks, hazards and risks workers will be faced with.
Why the future of low-level access starts with rethinking old habits
By Samuel Butterworth, JLG Power Towers on 22 September 2026
Low-level access equipment like powered lifts can help make work at height safer by providing a secure, enclosed working platform, but they can also bring other benefits, such as avoiding the need for awkward stretching to reach work areas, which helps to prevent musculoskeletal injuries.
Why paperwork alone isn’t sufficient MEWP rescue preparation
By Ben Hughes, Horizon Platforms on 22 September 2026
A recent safety awareness day has highlighted the importance of contractors regularly practising emergency rescue from mobile elevating work platforms, rather than relying on one-off training sessions and paper procedures that are not always easy to follow during a fast-moving incident.