Health and safety: Calderdale builder in court after labourer fell through skylight and suffered horrific injuries

Jacob Thomas, 29 and a self-employed labourer, suffered a catalogue of serious injuries after the fall at a farm in Todmorden.

He was on his first day on the job and had been removing wooden boarding behind a roof when he took a step and fell through one of the skylights.

His injuries included a brain haemorrhage as well as multiple fracturs including to his skull, the sternum, the spine and the shoulder.

Builder James Dargan-Cole, 25 and of Eastwood Road in Todmorden, had failed to put arrangements in place to either avoid the working at height completely or prevent a fall while doing so while the work was being carried out in April 2023, said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Dargan-Cole pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was handed a 12-month community order with 200 hours unpaid work in the community.

He was also ordered to pay £2,500 in costs at Leeds Magistrates Court.

HSE principal inspector Paul Thompson said: “Mr Thomas suffered horrific injuries due to the failure to ensure protective fall prevention or collective fall mitigation measures were in place. These are well known and long-standing within the industry.

“This incident came about as a result of poor planning, management and monitoring of activities during work at height.

"I hope this case serves as an example and a reminder to others about the potential deadly risks they often undertake and how they should be approached.”