Lessons learned · HSE-2025-004
Prohibition notice ignored, exposing workers to fall risk
A contractor continued unsafe working-at-height and demolition-related activity after the regulator had issued action to stop it, putting workers at risk of serious injury. The matter resulted in a suspended sentence and a requirement to carry out unpaid work.
Published by the Institute · reviewed
What happened
A contractor carrying out work involving demolition and working at height was found by the regulator to be putting workers at risk of serious injury. Enforcement action was taken to stop the unsafe practices, but the contractor disregarded this and continued the work regardless, showing what the inspector described as contempt for worker safety. The case highlights a recurring failure across the sector: enforcement notices being treated as inconvenient paperwork rather than a legal requirement to stop until conditions are made safe. Continuing work after a prohibition notice removes the last safety net between unsafe conditions and a serious or fatal incident, and it also removes the regulator's ability to trust future assurances from that contractor. The case was dealt with by the courts, resulting in a suspended prison sentence and a requirement to complete unpaid work, reflecting the seriousness with which deliberate defiance of enforcement action is now treated.
Contributing factors
- Prohibition notice ignored
- Poor safety culture
- Programme pressure overriding safety
- Inadequate management oversight
What to take from it
- Treat a prohibition or improvement notice as an absolute stop, not a negotiating position.
- Ensure site managers and directors understand that continuing work under notice is a criminal matter, not just a compliance risk.
- Keep records showing remedial action taken in response to any notice before resuming work.
- Build a company culture where raising a stop-work concern is rewarded, not overridden by programme pressure.
- Review working-at-height and demolition method statements whenever a notice is served, not just the specific defect cited.