Why Fragile Roof Work Still Kills: The West Yorkshire Skylight Fall That Should Never Have Happened

A scaffolder in West Yorkshire fell more than six metres through a warehouse roof skylight in an incident that has since been described by the Health and Safety Executive as “harrowing”, and entirely avoidable.

CCTV footage, released by the HSE as part of enforcement action, captures the moment James Cranswick, 26, stepped onto a skylight while working on the roof of a warehouse at Acre Mills in Keighley. Seconds later, he fell through it, landing on a pallet truck before hitting the concrete floor below. He suffered head lacerations, a broken arm and a broken leg. He was, in the words of the HSE, lucky to be alive.

The footage makes for uncomfortable viewing. But it is exactly the kind of uncomfortable viewing that those managing work at height need to see.

What Went Wrong

Mr Cranswick was part of a team employed by a scaffolding contractor to install temporary scaffolding edge protection at the warehouse. The work was straightforward in scope, but the planning behind it was not fit for purpose.

An HSE investigation found that both the scaffolding contractor and the principal contractor had failed to properly plan, manage and monitor the work being carried out by scaffolders on the roof. There were no measures in place to prevent workers from falling from the roof edge or through fragile sections of the roof. Critically, the skylights were described as being almost invisible to Mr Cranswick, who had no way of knowing the fragile elements were there.

Keighley, West Yorkshire — June 2026 What Went Wrong: The Chain of Failures Every serious accident on a fragile roof follows the same pattern — a sequence of decisions that were never made, or made badly. This one was no different.

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Failure 1 — Planning No pre-work roof survey Neither Clover Access Systems nor STM360 conducted an adequate survey of the warehouse roof before work began. The skylights — which were almost invisible in certain light — were not identified as fragile hazards.

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Failure 2 — Information Operatives not informed of fragile elements James Cranswick, 26, was sent onto the roof with no knowledge of where the skylights were. The Work at Height Regulations require duty holders to make workers aware of fragile surfaces, preferably with physical warning notices.

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Failure 3 — Protection No physical protection over fragile areas No covers, crawling boards, or barriers were installed over the skylights. No edge protection prevented a fall from the roof perimeter. The team arrived and began work without any collective fall prevention measures in place.

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Failure 4 — Supervision No active monitoring of the work HSE found both companies failed to manage and monitor the work as it progressed. Even if planning had been inadequate, active supervision provides a final opportunity to catch and correct unsafe conditions before an accident occurs.

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Outcome Scaffolder falls 6+ metres through skylight James Cranswick stepped onto a skylight and fell over six metres, landing on a pallet truck before hitting the concrete floor. He suffered a broken arm, broken leg, and head lacerations. He was described by the HSE as lucky to be alive.

HSE verdict: “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.”

Both companies pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015: the scaffolding contractor under Regulation 15 (contractor duties to plan, manage and monitor) and the principal contractor under Regulation 13 (principal contractor duties). The scaffolding contractor was fined £26,000 and ordered to pay £2,866 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 4 June 2026; the company has since gone into liquidation. The principal contractor was fined £53,300 and ordered to pay £3,167 in costs.

Leeds Magistrates Court — 4 June 2026 The Cost of Non-Compliance Two companies. One preventable accident. Nearly £90,000 in fines and costs — and one company no longer trading.

Contractor STM360 Limited £53,300 Fine + £3,167 prosecution costs CDM 2015 — Reg 15

Scaffolding contractor Clover Access Systems Limited £26,000 Fine + £2,866 prosecution costs Now in liquidation

Total fines & costs £85,333

Know Your Fragile Surfaces These materials cannot safely support a person’s weight. Many become harder to identify with age — discolouring, painting over, or corroding until they are almost invisible. Treat all of them as hazardous until physically confirmed safe.

Polycarbonate & perspex rooflights Brittle under load. Can yellow and become opaque with age, making them hard to distinguish from surrounding roof sheets.

Fibre cement sheeting Common on industrial and agricultural buildings. Brittle even when new; deteriorates significantly over time.

Profiled asbestos cement The grey corrugated sheeting found on millions of older UK industrial buildings. Fragile and hazardous — requires specialist management.

Corroded or thinned metal sheets Metal sheeting can appear solid while corrosion has compromised its load-bearing capacity entirely.

Glass rooflights Unless specifically rated as walk-on glass, all glass rooflights must be treated as fragile.

Painted-over skylights As in this case: skylights painted to match surrounding roof materials can be effectively invisible to operatives until it is too late.

A Risk That Is Well Understood and Still Ignored

Falls through fragile roofs are not a new problem. The dangers associated with skylights, fragile roof panels and unprotected roof surfaces have been documented and legislated against for decades. The HSE’s own guidance on roof work sets out a clear hierarchy for those in control of work at height:

Avoid the need to access fragile roofs wherever possible.
Where access cannot be avoided, put suitable protection in place to prevent falls through fragile materials.

Work at Height Regulations 2005 — Regulations 9 & 10 The Legal Hierarchy for Fragile Roof Work Those in control of work at height must follow this hierarchy in order. You cannot skip to step two without first demonstrating step one is not practicable.

First priority Avoid access to the fragile roof Can the work be done without anyone setting foot on the roof? Consider remote inspection methods, internal access, or redesigning the task. If the answer is yes, that is the only legally compliant option. Elimination of risk

If access is unavoidable Prevent falls through fragile surfaces Install physical protection before any operative accesses the roof. This means platforms, crawling boards, or covers secured over rooflights and skylights — not instructions to workers to be careful. Collective protection

Last resort only Minimise the consequences of a fall Where collective protection cannot fully eliminate the risk, use fall arrest systems — safety nets, airbags, harnesses with suitable anchor points. This does not replace steps 1 and 2; it supplements them. Fall arrest / PPE

This is not complex. It does not require specialist knowledge or expensive equipment to get right. It requires a genuine risk assessment, a plan, and someone with authority to enforce it on the day.

None of that happened at the Keighley warehouse.

What This Means for Your Business

If your operations involve any work on or near roofs, including installing edge protection, inspecting industrial units, or accessing structures with older roofing materials, this case is a direct reminder of your responsibilities.

Before any operative sets foot on a roof, the following must be in place:

CDM 2015 & Work at Height Regulations 2005 Before Anyone Accesses a Roof: 6 Non-Negotiables These are not best-practice recommendations — they are legal duties. Failure to complete any one of these steps places your operatives at risk and your business in breach of the regulations.

Conduct a competent-person roof survey All roofs must be treated as fragile until a competent person has confirmed they are not. The survey must identify every fragile element — skylights, rooflights, corroded sheeting — and their exact locations. WAH Regs 2005 — Reg 9

Produce a written method statement The plan must specify exactly how fragile areas will be protected or avoided. This document must be task-specific — a generic method statement does not meet the CDM 2015 duty to plan, manage and monitor. CDM 2015 — Reg 15

Brief all operatives on fragile surface locations Every worker going onto the roof must be told where fragile surfaces are before they start. Warning notices must be fixed at approaches to fragile areas. Verbal briefings alone are insufficient. WAH Regs 2005 — Reg 9(2)

Install physical protection over all fragile elements Skylights and rooflights must have secured covers, crawling boards, or barriers in place before work begins. Collective protection takes legal priority over personal PPE. WAH Regs 2005 — Reg 9(1)(b)

Confirm edge protection is in place Edge falls from commercial and industrial roofs are equally common. Guardrails, barriers, or other edge protection must be installed at roof perimeters before work starts. WAH Regs 2005 — Schedule 2

Assign a competent person to actively supervise Planning is not enough. A named individual must monitor the work as it progresses and have the authority to stop it if conditions change or the method statement is not being followed. CDM 2015 — Reg 15(4)

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Skylights that appear painted over, discoloured, or covered by debris can be impossible to identify from a distance. Never assume a rooflight can bear a person’s weight — treat it as fragile until physically confirmed otherwise.

A thorough pre-work survey. Roofs must be inspected before work begins to identify all fragile elements, including skylights, rooflights, corroded sheeting and asbestos panels. What appears solid from the ground, or from a distance, may not be.

A clear method statement. The plan for how the work will be carried out must account for fragile areas. It is not sufficient to tell operatives to “be careful.” Physical barriers, crawling boards, or covers must be specified and used.

Active supervision. Planning a job properly is not the same as managing it properly. Someone on site must be responsible for ensuring that the plan is followed.

Documented risk assessment. A written record protects your workers and your business. If something does go wrong, you will need to demonstrate that you identified the risks and took appropriate steps.

The Regulator’s Position

HSE Inspector Shauna Halstead was unequivocal following the prosecution:

“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.”

The enforcement of CDM 2015 in cases like this sends a clear message: the duty to plan, manage and monitor is not a box-ticking exercise. It is a legal obligation with real consequences when it is not met.ot a box-ticking exercise. It is a legal obligation with real consequences when it is not met.

If you are unsure whether your current procedures are adequate for work at height or if you would like support developing method statements, risk assessments or safety management systems Think WorkSafe can help. Our team works with contractors across a wide range of sectors to ensure that work at height is managed safely and in full compliance with current legislation.

Get in touch with our team to find out more.