In July 2024, a 24-year-old trainee painter died while working at a house in Farndon, near Chester. He and a colleague were moving a fully extended ladder at the gable end of the house when it touched, or came close enough to arc from, an overhead power line.
His employer, a sole trader painting and decorating business, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. On 6 October 2026, at Warrington Magistrates' Court, he received a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £10,645 in costs.
Our thoughts are with the young man's family. We have not named those involved. We share the case because of what it shows about planning, not to point fingers.
What HSE found
- The planned method, a tower scaffold and ladders, was not safe.
- The ladders-only method used on the day was also unsuitable and unsafe.
- There were concerns about the training and competence of those carrying out the work.
Why size makes no difference
It is easy to think risk assessments and method statements are for large contractors with safety departments. The law does not see it that way. Every employer and self-employed person has to assess the risks of the work they do. Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations requires all work at height to be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a way that is, so far as reasonably practicable, safe. A one-person business with one helper carries exactly the same duty.
If you employ five or more people, the significant findings of your risk assessment must be written down. Below that, writing it down is still the simplest way to show you thought the job through, and most clients and principal contractors will ask for RAMS before you start.
Six questions good RAMS should answer
- What is dangerous on this site? Overhead lines, ground conditions, access and the public.
- Is this the right access equipment for the job? Ladder, tower, podium or platform.
- What is the sequence, step by step, including moving and repositioning equipment?
- Who is trained and competent for each task?
- What happens if conditions change on the day? Stop, reassess and update the plan.
- What happens if something goes wrong? Emergency arrangements and who to call.
Generic templates rarely answer these. A short, honest, site-specific document that matches the job you are actually doing is worth far more than a thick one nobody reads. If overhead lines are anywhere near the work, HSE's guidance on avoiding danger from overhead power lines (GS6) is worth reading before the ladder goes up, and the network operator can advise before you start.
How PRAVISE can help
We review and mark up existing RAMS, or write them from scratch around your actual sequence, plant, access and people, so they are site-specific, readable and defensible. Fees start from £225. We also provide COSHH assessments, an editable master you can reuse on future jobs, site safety inspections with a written, dated report, and CDM 2015 duty-holder support for clients and contractors. Fees are fixed and agreed before we start.
If this case has made you look again at how your jobs are planned, your first call is free: 15 to 30 minutes, no obligation. Construction enquiries: Patrick, 07475 593863.
Sources and further reading
This article draws on reputable published sources and public enforcement reporting. It has not been fully verified case by case, so no individuals, companies or addresses are identified.
This article is general guidance, not advice about your particular site or premises. If you want it applied to your own job, the first call is free.