A company was fined £40,000 after a worker was paralysed as a result of a stairwell that collapsed at a football stadium.
Ashley Grealish fell about 11 metres (36ft) to a basement at Watford FC’s stadium on 14 June 2016 and got paralysed from his waist down.
The floor collapsed, which made several workers fall, but most of them were able to escape serious injuries.
ECS Groundwork Ltd admitted there was a safety breach and it was fined at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.
The case against the construction company was brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
It was disclosed by the HSE that workers were constructing a new hospitality and seating section at Vicarage Road when the concrete floor of the stairwell collapsed.
The now 34-year-old Mr Grealish sustained multiple injuries including spinal damage, which resulted in permanent paralysis.
It was established that the contractor had no suitable design for the temporary works, as part of the construction project needed to enable the permanent structure to be erected, taking into account both weight and durability.
ECS Groundwork Ltd of Warren Farm, Colney Heath, pleaded guilty to breaching regulations 19 (1), 19(2) and 19(3) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
The company was also ordered to compensate for costs of £14,505.
Speaking after the hearing, on 30 September, HSE inspector Rauf Ahmed had this to say: “The injuries and damages suffered by Mr Grealish are life-changing and the incident could have been more serious.
“If the company had designed a safe system of work, the incident would have been avoided. The support system used to cast the concrete floor would not have collapsed.”