A horticultural company has been fined £80,000 after an employee suffered serious injuries when a ladder collapsed beneath him while he was working at height.
The incident happened in June 2023, when the employee was checking irrigation watering hanging baskets at Ball Colegrave Ltd’s site in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
As he climbed the ladder, it gave way, throwing him to the ground. He sustained five broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees.
Inspectors concluded that the task had not been properly planned or carried out safely, as required under workplace safety law.
The HSE said the case served as a reminder that working at height remains one of the leading causes of serious injury and death on farms and in other workplaces.
At a hearing at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 14 October 2025, Ball Colegrave Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £7,061 in costs.
Following the case, HSE Inspector Rebecca Gibson said: “This incident highlights the duty on employers to ensure that they do all they can to minimise the risk from working at height.
"If work at height isn’t properly planned and unsuitable work equipment is used, people can fall and sustain serious injuries.”
She added that “falls from height remain a leading cause of workplace injury and death,” urging all employers to review their procedures and ensure workers are adequately protected.
The prosecution was supported by HSE enforcement lawyer Arafq Nabi and paralegal officer Gabrielle O’Sullivan.
Ball Colegrave Ltd has since reviewed its safety procedures following the incident.
