Sole trader sentenced after worker injured in fall from height

26th January 2026

• Worker suffered life-changing injuries after falling through fragile rooflight.

• HSE investigation found no measures in place to prevent or mitigate a fall.

• Incident highlights ongoing risks of working at height in construction.

Daniel Jenner, trading as Jenner Roofing and Building Services, has received an eight-month suspended sentence after a worker fell four metres through a rooflight to the concrete floor below.

Hole Left in Roof

The incident occurred on 12 August 2023, when a worker was carrying out work on behalf of Jenner Roofing and Building Services, at an industrial estate in High Wycombe, working alone to clean and repair gutters and drains.

While walking next to the unguarded edges of the roof, he approached a fragile roof covering above a service road. He stepped onto a rooflight, fell through it, and sustained serious, life-changing injuries including a fractured skull and cheekbone, a fractured leg and a broken wrist.

Police at the scene of the fall

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Daniel Jenner had failed to implement any work-at-height measures to prevent workers from falling from the unguarded edges of the roof or through the fragile roof itself. There were no measures in place to mitigate for either the distance or the impact of a fall.

Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death. HSE has detailed guidance available on working safely at height and managing construction activities that can be found on our website.

Daniel Jenner, trading as Jenner Roofing and Building Services, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He received an eight-month suspended sentence, was ordered to complete 280 hours of unpaid work and to pay £500 in costs at a hearing at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 21 January 2026.

HSE Lead Inspector, Sophie Neale, said:

“This was a tragic but avoidable incident, where an individual suffered life-changing injuries due to working at height. Had suitable control measures been implemented, such as fall prevention or fall mitigation measures, this incident would not have occurred.

“This prosecution highlights ongoing safety failures in the construction industry, where working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer, Gemma Zakrzewski and paralegal officer, Helen Hugo.

Source: https://press.hse.gov.uk/2026/01/26/sole-trader-fined-after-worker-injured-in-fall-from-height/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social+&utm_campaign=prosecution-push&fbclid=IwY2xjawPl2C9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFqQ0FreGhicWtDVmpPYkpxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhzhvoOynaUwVXdIVzl8MvA6i9fDa-NYKSxYR0N7BssGS3cYKgX352TccK0x_aem_dVvMytjQs9DC9EUxXsfO5w