CCTV footage captures harrowing moment worker falls through roof

CCTV footage captures harrowing moment worker falls through roof This shocking footage shows the moment a worker fell through an ‘invisible’ skylight at a factory in Yorkshire - leaving him seriously injured after landing on a pallet truck. This is the terrifying moment a worker fell through a warehouse roof, landing two construction companies with huge fines. James Cranswick was installing temporary scaffolding edge protection for Clover Access Systems Limited at Acre Mills in Keighley, West Yorkshire, when he fell through an ‘invisible’ skylight. The 26-year-old plummeted to the floor and had a lucky escape as an invetigation was immediately launched. CCTV footage shows the man smashing into the concrete after hitting a pallet truck on his way down. Mr Cranswick suffered a broken arm, leg and head injury after falling through the roof. He was carrying materials from one end of the unit to the other when he stepped on a skylight and subsequently fell more than six metres. Following a Health and Safety Executive probe, two construction firms have now been fined almost £80,000 by a court. It as found that both Clover Access Systems Limited and STM360 Limited failed to plan, manage and monitor the work being undertaken by the scaffolders at the unit. No measures were put in place to prevent scaffolders falling from the edge of the unit, or through the fragile elements of the roof. The skylights of the unit were almost invisible to Mr Cranswick and he was unaware of any fragile elements of the roof, the investigation found. Clover Access Systems Limited pleaded guilty to breaching The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 15. They were fined £26,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,866 at Leeds Magistrates Court on 4 June 2026. The company is now in liquidation. STM360 Limited pleaded guilty to breaching The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 13. The company was fined £53,300 and ordered to pay £3,167 in costs. HSE Inspector Shauna Halstead, added: “Mr Cranswick is lucky to be alive after this incident. “His fall was wholly avoidable; the risks associated with work on, or around fragile surfaces are well-known, and HSE guidance is available to assist companies in complying with the law. “Everyone working in construction should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action where roof work is not properly managed, as workers should not be needlessly put in harm’s way.”