By James Whitaker · Published 10 November 2026 · 2 min read
A North Yorkshire scaffolding contractor has been fined £16,000 following the death of a trainee who fell five metres from a partially erected structure. Michael Swales died at a residential housing development near Ripon on 5 July 2023 after falling from an unsecured scaffolding board.
Background
Ask Scaffolding Ltd was contracted to provide scaffolding services for the site. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the company failed to ensure work at height was carried out safely. Safe zones had not been established. Workers were not using harnesses or lanyards. The regulator also discovered that previous scaffolding work on the site had ignored industry guidance.
Industry implications
The £16,000 fine, alongside £8,000 in costs, highlights the financial and legal consequences of ignoring basic work at height protocols. The case underscores the strict liability employers hold over trainees, who require rigorous supervision and mandatory fall arrest equipment when working on incomplete structures.
What contractors should do now
Scaffolding contractors must immediately review their safe systems of work for erecting and dismantling scaffolds. Site managers need to verify that all operatives, especially trainees, are wearing and actively clipping on harnesses. Exclusion zones must be clearly demarcated before any work at height commences.
Expert view
HSE Inspector David Beaton stated that this tragic accident underlines the importance of those in control of scaffolding work making sure that it is being done safely. The failure to enforce harness use and establish safe zones points to a systemic breakdown in site supervision rather than an isolated error.
What happens next
Ask Scaffolding Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1)(c) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Leeds Magistrates' Court on 4 November 2026. The company must now pay the fine and a £2,000 victim surcharge. The HSE is expected to continue its targeted inspections of scaffolding operations across residential developments this winter.
Sources
- Scaffolding company fined after trainee scaffolder killed in five-metre fall — HSE Media Centre
