Romero Catholic Academy Trust Fined £32,000 After Roof Fall Left Site Supervisor with Life-Threatening Injuries
Published on 07/16/2026 at 21:22 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A Burnley school trust has been handed a £32,000 fine after a site supervisor suffered traumatic injuries in a fall from a primary school roof — a case that underscores the critical importance of proper work-at-height safeguards for UK employers.
The Romero Catholic Academy Trust was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates Court on July 14, 2026, following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident at St Mary's Catholic Primary School.
This case is a stark reminder that even routine tasks like collecting footballs from a roof require a formal risk assessment. Many UK employers still underestimate this critical gap in their workplace safety procedures, exposing workers to preventable harm and their businesses to enforcement action. The free Risk Assessment Toolkit provides 41 ready-to-use templates and checklists that help you document risks in a legally compliant manner — covering work at height, fire safety, lone working, and more. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit
A Routine Task Turned Catastrophic
The accident occurred on September 2, 2024, when site supervisor Robert Baker climbed onto the school roof to collect footballs. He fell, sustaining a brain bleed and fractures to his face, hands, and feet.
Baker later said doctors were initially unsure whether he would survive. Months on, he continues to struggle with memory and speech problems.
HSE Investigation Finds Basic Safety Failures
The HSE investigation found that the trust had failed to carry out a risk assessment for work at height and had not installed any edge protection on the roof to prevent falls — both fundamental requirements under the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
The trust pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Alongside the £32,000 fine, the court ordered the organisation to pay £6,360 in costs.
Wider Context: A Pattern of Enforcement
The case adds to a growing list of recent workplace safety enforcement actions. In separate developments, the UK firm Alchemist DB Limited was fined following the fatal fall of labourer Mykhalio Hustei into a water-filled excavation, while international cases have seen US-based OSHA propose over $260,000 in penalties against FleetPride Inc. after a fatal asphyxiation, and Home Hardware Stores Limited fined $75,000 for warehouse fall violations.
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