David Tourish was working for Walker Group (Scotland) Ltd on a housing job in Edinburgh when he and a colleague were asked to carry some doors upstairs.

A temporary staircase with half landings had been put in while the house was built, and there was a gap between one of the half landings and the wall.

For most of the build, this gap had been protected by a guardrail, but two days before Tourish’s fall, this had been removed by a joiner to allow him to fix plasterboard to the wall.

On 21 November 2009 Tourish stepped off the edge of the half landing and through the gap, falling nearly three metres to the landing below.

He was taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with bruised kidneys and two fractured ribs.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the work had not been planned properly and that the site manager was aware the guardrail had been removed and should have known there was a risk to his team.

HSE inspector Alastair Brown said: “Had Walker Group carried out a proper risk assessment it would have identified the unusual design feature of the staircase and ensured it remained a safe working area throughout the build process.”

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court Walker Group (Scotland) Limited pleaded guilty to breaking safety regulations and were fined £8,000.