Matrod Frampton Limited pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates’ Court after the incident left 69-year-old Patrick Grant with life-changing injuries.

The court heard how the breeze block wall had been back-filled too early, before the mortar had properly set. The wall collapsed while Grant was working nearby, crushing him against the concrete floor of the excavation.

The incident happened on 19 August 2022 at the company’s site on Old Coast Guard’s Road, Poole. Grant and two colleagues had started work at the lower level of the excavation when the wall at the north end gave way at around 8.30am.

Emergency services attended the scene, but there was no emergency rescue plan in place. The use of an unstable ladder to access the deep excavation delayed rescue efforts, and Grant had to be hoisted out by the fire and rescue service before being airlifted to hospital.

An HSE investigation found that Matrod Frampton Limited had failed to properly assess a foreseeable risk associated with temporary works on site.

The investigation identified that there was no temporary works design for the blockwork wall, nor for any other temporary work structures at the site. The company had failed to appoint either a temporary works coordinator or a temporary works supervisor, despite this being highlighted as a serious concern in a safety report issued eight days before the incident.

Without a temporary works procedure in place, groundworkers backfilled the wall prematurely, leading directly to its collapse.

Matrod Frampton Limited, of Wimborne, Dorset, pleaded guilty to breaching safety regulations and was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £8,242 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

After the hearing HSE inspector, Alexander Ashen, said: “The correct design and execution of temporary works is an essential element of risk prevention in construction.

“This incident illustrates what can happen when temporary works are not properly organised. Matrod Frampton Limited is an established construction company, and a temporary works procedure should have been implemented as a matter of course.

“The fact that the company’s own health and safety consultants raised this issue eight days before the incident makes this wholly avoidable event all the more tragic.”

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to properly plan and manage serious risks on construction sites.”