A London construction company has been ordered to pay a fine of £50,000 after four workers were injured—two seriously—when the first floor of a house collapsed during building works.
Aryn Stones Ltd was contracted to build a new residential property in Hampstead. On May 31 2022, remedial work was underway on a partially constructed beam-and-block floor when it suddenly collapsed, sending two workers plunging down with it.
The injured included a 62-year-old welder and a 31-year-old bricklayer, both of whom suffered life-changing injuries. Two other men standing at ground level were also hurt by falling concrete debris.
Construction on the property began in March 2021, but by February 2022, structural engineers inspecting the site found significant errors in the connections of structural steel beams. Remedial works began to address these issues, ultimately leading to the collapse. The incident occurred as the welder was cutting a steel beam supporting the first floor with an oxyacetylene torch, while simultaneously another worker was removing Acrow props supporting the same beam.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Aryn Stones Ltd failed to adequately manage the temporary state of weakness during remedial works and had not implemented appropriate safety measures to prevent the collapse.
The company, based on Percy Road, London, was found guilty of breaching Regulation 19(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. It was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £39,000 in costs following a two-day trial at the City of London Magistrates’ Court on 18 June 2025.
Following the verdict, HSE inspector Lucy Ellison-Dunn said: “Although two men were seriously injured, it was lucky nobody was killed.
“This was a completely avoidable incident had a system for the management of temporary works been in place. The company should have taken precautions to protect people from the risk of collapse.
“Everyone working in construction has a responsibility to ensure that everyone on a building site is safe.”
The investigation was jointly conducted by HSE inspectors Lucy Ellison-Dunn and Alexander McIlwraith, with the prosecution handled by HSE enforcement lawyer Samantha Crockett and supported by HSE Paralegal Officer Sarah Thomas.
