A builder has been jailed for 12 months after a 19-year-old worker fell to his death from a garage roof in Staines. Thomas Neate suffered severe head injuries after plunging through an opening in the roof on 16 August 2023, and died in hospital weeks later on 23 September.
Jason Hill, 59, of Ashford, Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Hill had failed to provide any protective systems, such as scaffolding or decking, despite the clear risk of working at height.
The HSE said there were “no measures in place to prevent a fall from height” at the domestic garage on Glebe Road. Thomas had been hired by Hill to help prepare the site for an extension.
In a statement, Thomas’s family described him as a “kind-hearted and hard working young man” whose loss had devastated them. “Knowing it could have been avoided makes that loss even harder to bear,” they said. “His death should never have happened.”
HSE inspector Jennifer Lester said: “Jason Hill’s failure to put in place basic safety measures has cost a young man his life. The fact he has been sent to prison demonstrates just how seriously this has been taken.” She added that working at height remains one of the most significant causes of death in construction, and that simple precautions would have protected Thomas.
