And in a highly unusual move the fine was converted into a compensation order of £60,000 to be paid directly to the victim.

The judge described this as “an exceptional case” because the contractor is in dispute with its insurance company and the victim is unlikely to receive compensation for his injuries.

Southwark Crown Court heard that Armenian national, Petros Pogosyan fell through a skylight from a unit roof on a London industrial estate while working for Race Interiors Ltd on 18 January 2013.

Pogosyan fell four and half meters on to a concrete floor at Unit 1, Roseberry Industrial Estate, London and suffered life changing injuries including a fractured back.

He is now partially deaf, has damage to his brain, is paralysed from the waist down and psychologically traumatised.

The court heard he will need personal care for the rest of his life, and will never work again.

His wife has given up work to care for him full time. Since the incident the couple have been living on state benefits.

Judge May QC described the accident as highly foreseeable and decided that the company fell far short of the required standards for managing risks at work.

HSE inspector Simon Hester said: “This tragedy should not have happened. Nobody should work on a roof without proper planning.

“It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent a fall. Mr Pogosyan could have been killed by his fall and now suffers massive and irreversible life-changing injuries.”

Race Interiors Limited appeared at and was fined £60,000 with costs of £7,784 after pleading guilty to safety breaches