When Hidden Hazards Become Fatal: How ISO 45001 Could Help Prevent Workplace Falls Through Fragile Rooflights

In late January 2026, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution highlighted a stark reminder: serious workplace injuries and fatalities continue to happen when risk isn’t properly managed.

A sole trader, Jenner Roofing and Building Services, was recently sentenced after a worker suffered life‑changing injuries when he fell four metres through a fragile rooflight on an industrial estate in High Wycombe.

The injured employee - carrying out gutter and drain cleaning work alone - stepped onto an area of roof with an unguarded fragile rooflight and plunged through to the concrete floor below. The fall resulted in a fractured skull, cheekbone and wrist, and a fractured leg - injuries that will have lasting impact on the worker’s life and livelihood.

The HSE investigation was unequivocal: there were no measures in place to prevent such a fall. No edge protection, no task‑specific safe system of work, and no effective planning to identify the hazard of fragile roofing materials. What should have been a routine job became a devastating accident - and one that illustrates exactly why formal Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems are essential, not optional.

A Pattern of Preventable Harm

Workplace accidents involving falls from height remain a leading cause of serious injury and death in the UK. According to recent HSE and industry analysis, falls from height continue to account for the single largest proportion of fatal workplace injuries, despite decades of guidance and regulatory enforcement.

In the 2024-25 reporting year alone, 124 workers were killed in Great Britain in work‑related incidents - with 35 in the construction sector, where falls from height are endemic. These figures highlight that fundamental gaps in hazard identification and management persist across industries.

It is against this backdrop of repeated preventable harm that ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems must be understood - not as a bureaucratic tick‑box but as a framework for systematic, proactive prevention.

How ISO 45001 Could Have Prevented This Incident

ISO 45001 provides a structured approach to identifying hazards, assessing risks, and implementing effective controls across an organisation’s activities. It embeds safety into everyday operations - which is exactly what was missing in the High Wycombe incident.

1. Planning: Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (Clause 6)

Under ISO 45001, employers must systematically identify hazards associated with all activities - including maintenance, roof access, fragile surfaces and lone work.

In this case, a competent risk assessment would have:

• Recognised fragile rooflights as a specific fall hazard.

• Assessed the likelihood and severity of a fall through fragile material.

• Prescribed safe work controls (e.g. scaffolding, edge protection, exclusion zones, or temporary walkways).

Instead, no such assessment took place.

2. Leadership & Worker Participation (Clause 5)

ISO 45001 elevates safety leadership to the organisational level. Senior management must demonstrate commitment, provide resources for hazard control, and ensure worker involvement in safety decisions.

The absence of protective measures here - despite the well‑known risk of fragile roof panels - suggests a lack of leadership engagement and worker input on safe work planning.

3. Support & Competence (Clause 7)

Safety systems are only effective when workers are competent and informed. ISO 45001 requires documented training and supervision appropriate to the risks identified.

In this case, the injured worker was performing a roofing task - a hazardous activity - without evidence of adequate training on fragile roofs, fall prevention or edge protection protocols. A certified ISO 45001 system would have ensured competency checks and task‑specific instruction before work began.

4. Operational Control & Safe Systems of Work (Clause 8)

ISO 45001 mandates controlled operation through documented procedures:

• Safe systems of work for activities at height.

• Clear assignment of responsibilities.

• Use of appropriate fall protection and guarding.

If these controls had been in place, edge protection or suitable access equipment (e.g. scaffolds or harness systems) would have been a standard part of the job planning - eliminating the uncontrolled rooflight fall hazard.

5. Performance Evaluation & Incident Learning (Clauses 9-10)

ISO 45001 also emphasises routine monitoring, audits and corrective action. Trending incidents involving fragile surfaces or near‑miss falls would flag persistent gaps in work‑at‑height controls and trigger systemic improvements.

The standard’s requirement for root cause analysis and preventive action helps ensure lessons learned are actually learned - not just recorded.

Why This Matters Now

The High Wycombe rooflight fall is far from an isolated event. Recent data shows:

• The UK still records over 120 workplace fatalities a year, with falls from height a leading cause.

• Construction and outdoor works remain high‑risk sectors where basic protections are often overlooked.

• Solo working without controls continues to expose workers to unacceptable danger.

ISO 45001 provides a proactive framework that would have identified and controlled the exact risk that led to this incident - protecting the worker, reducing legal and financial risk for the employer, and reinforcing an organisational culture where safety is integrated into every job plan.

Final Thought

Every workplace accident is preventable. When hazards are known - like fragile rooflights, unguarded edges, or lone workers - an effective Occupational Health and Safety Management System shouldn’t just suggest measures - it should ensure they are applied, monitored, and improved over time.

ISO 45001 turns reactive safety practices into systematic prevention - and when real lives are at stake, that difference matters.

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