Footage by a TV film crew accompanying medical staff who attended a fatal accident has helped convict a construction company following the death of a 25-year-old worker.

Regentford Ltd, of Rookwood Road, Hackney, were fined £250,000 this month after an eight day trial at Croydon Crown Court. They were also ordered to pay £71,603 costs.

The offences arose as the result of Balwinder Kumar (also known as Binder Singh), described as a mason and plasterer, falling to his death from scaffolding while he was re-pointing brickwork in Croydon.

When HSE went to investigate, the scaffolding had been removed but it had been recorded by the TV crew filming for a documentary called ‘Trauma’ about medics. The film showed scaffolding in poor condition with insufficient guardrails and an inadequate working platform.

Edward James Day (trading as E J Construction) of Longfield Road, Longfield, Kent, was fined £20,000 for health & safety offences last month (March) by Maidstone Crown Court following the death of employee Mark Wilkin. The prosecution was brought jointly by Kent Police and the HSE.

Mark Wilkin had been working to extend a finger of land being used as a temporary roadway out into a flooded quarry at Salt Lane in Cliffe. The site dumper he was driving came off the roadway and Mr Wilkin became trapped under it in the quarry. He drowned at the scene.

Malcolm Shaun Foyle, of Malraymar, Duck Street, Salisbury, has been fined £2,000 with £1,000 costs by Salisbury Magistrates as a result of two of his employees falling from the upstairs of a building when a temporary work platform collapsed above a stairwell. Both men fell through the stairwell, one suffering a broken bone as a result of the fall.

HSE say more than 4,000 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work last year and 21 workers in the construction industry died. For more information on HSE’s shattered lives campaign go to.