A Birmingham company has been fined after a tragic fall led to a man’s death during church restoration work
David Clover, who was from Erdington, worked for Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd. He was there to do some restoration work on the church, which is a Grade 1-listed building. Sadly, he fell while suspended from the 60-meter high steeple.
He was in a ‘bosun’s chair’ when the accident occurred. Unfortunately, he suffered fatal injuries. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) looked into the incident. They found that the bosun’s chair didn’t have a proper backup system to prevent falls.
David was 64 years old and left behind heartfelt tributes. One tribute read, “Grandad, we’ll love you forever. Thank you for everything.” Another said, “You will always be in our hearts.”
The HSE noted that falls from height are a major cause of workplace fatalities. In fact, 50 people died from falls in 2023/24.
Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd, which has since stopped trading, admitted to breaking safety regulations. They were fined £60,000 in a Birmingham court last week.
The judge mentioned that the company had outdated safety practices. After the hearing, an HSE inspector expressed condolences to David’s family. She emphasized that they will take action against companies that don’t protect their workers.
