What happened
According to the HSE Media Centre, a principal contractor has been fined after a man was left 'physically ruined' following a fall from a tipping bucket on a fork lift truck in Ashford, Kent.
Aaron Back, 41, a father of four, spent months in hospital after the incident at the EMIR site on Wotton Road on 28 March 2023. The then 38-year-old had been contracted by South East Refurbishment Limited to dismantle pipework. He was in a raised tipping bucket on a fork lift truck when he fell out to the concrete floor below.
The HSE investigation found that a scissor lift had been ordered for the work but was too tall to enter the area — so the fork lift truck was used instead. Investigators found no suitable arrangements were in place to manage the company's contractors and ensure safety on site, and no action had been taken to put a different safe system of work in place.
Although the company provided equipment to its labour-only subcontractor, HSE found there was no training relating to the fork lift truck or scissor lift for Mr Back or his subcontractor, no procedure to ensure only trained operatives could access them, and no adequate supervision. HSE also noted that relevant advice and enforcement had been given to the company from 2013 regarding control of contractors and unsafe working at height.
In a victim personal statement, Aaron Back said: "Since the incident I am physically ruined." He added: "This accident has destroyed me as a person it has taken away my identity."
South East Refurbishment Limited, of Rochester, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £90,000 and ordered to pay costs of £27,241 at Margate Magistrates Court on 7 July 2026.
Why this matters to contractors
Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury. HSE's latest figures show they account for over a quarter of all work-related deaths in 2025/26, with 31 people losing their lives in the past year. Construction remains the sector with the greatest number of workers killed each year.
The pattern here is one every contractor will recognise: the right equipment was ordered, it didn't fit, and instead of stopping to re-plan, work carried on with an improvised alternative. A fork lift tipping bucket is not a person-carrying platform. When the planned access equipment can't be used, that's the moment to pause — not to improvise.
Two failings stand out. First, control of contractors: providing equipment to a labour-only subcontractor without training, supervision or a procedure controlling who operates plant leaves you exposed as the principal contractor. Second, this wasn't a one-off — HSE noted advice going back to 2013. Regulators take repeat exposure seriously.
What to check on your site
- Never use lifting equipment as a work platform unless it is specifically designed and certified for lifting people.
- Have a stop rule. If the planned access equipment doesn't fit or work, the job stops until a safe alternative is agreed and documented — not improvised.
- Control your contractors. Know who is on site, what they're doing and whether they're competent for it.
- Check operator training. Only trained, authorised operatives should access plant and MEWPs — keep records.
- Supervise the work at height and inspect access equipment before use.
- Plan the work properly before anyone leaves the ground, and review the plan if conditions change.
Which SafetyPod documents help
SafetyPod templates are written by a NEBOSH-qualified professional and drafted to current UK legislation, including the Work at Height Regulations 2005. They give you a structured starting point for planning and recording the work — they don't make anyone compliant on their own, but they help you demonstrate you've thought it through.
- The Scaffolder Risk Assessment Pack covers access equipment, working at height, MEWPs and scaffold inspection.
- The RAMS & Permits templates help you set out a safe system of work before the job starts.
- The Site Monitoring forms help you keep supervision and inspection records on site.
- New to this? Read CDM 2015 explained for your duties around planning and controlling contractors.
The bottom line
This was, in HSE's words, a completely avoidable incident. The plan existed — it just wasn't followed when the kit didn't fit. Build a genuine stop-and-rethink culture into your site, and back it with clear, documented systems of work.
Browse the full SafetyPod library or check what you need with the free H&S Document Checker.