Father-of-three Andrew Clifford lay face down for around six hours before being found by a delivery driver. He judged the time by listening to the hourly news bulletins broadcast on his radio.

Clifford worked alone installing first floor joists while building a house on Main Road in Dronfield. The 51-year-old was carrying out the work on behalf of Paul Freeman Limited, a Mansfield-based company he had worked with for around 20 years.

The HSE sued the company for failing to properly plan work at height.

On the morning of October 31, 2022, Clifford slipped and fell from the first floor to the ground and was left unable to move.

He spent nearly five months in hospital, with spinal cord injuries so severe they left him paralyzed from the chest down, with limited movement in his hands and arms.

Clifford said: “The first thing I remember after I fell was landing on my head.

“From that moment on it was a very strange feeling, because from the moment I landed I didn’t feel any pain and I didn’t understand why or why I couldn’t get up.

“My radio was on and I judged the time from the news. After an hour I tried moving again and it lasted for about three hours. Eventually I realized it was serious and thought I’d better stay still as I didn’t want to cause any further injuries.

“It wasn’t the kind of street where people passed by and as it started to get dark I got really worried.

“When I was found by the delivery driver, I heard him shout ‘Hello, hello, hello’.

“I think I fell between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. and wasn’t found until 3:00 p.m.”

He described how being a builder was a job he loved and the impact the incident had on his daily life.

Clifford said: “I can no longer do something I used to love doing.

“Simple things like gardening, washing the car and doing housework.

“I can’t even wash or dress myself now.

“I haven’t been upstairs in my house since the accident – ​​my wife and three daughters all sleep upstairs and I sleep downstairs alone.

“Another thing that really bothers me is the thought of not being able to walk my daughters down the aisle when they get married.”

An HSE investigation found that Paul Freeman Limited failed to ensure that work at height was properly planned and as a result no measures were implemented to prevent falls during the construction of the first floor.

Paul Freeman Ltd of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to breaching safety at Derby Magistrates’ Court and was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,263.

HSE Inspector Sara Andrews said: “My thoughts are with Andrew and his family, whose lives have changed dramatically as a result of this avoidable incident.

“This case highlights the importance of undertaking a thorough risk assessment of all working at height activities and the need to ensure that, where working at height cannot be avoided, appropriate control measures are implemented to minimize the risk of serious injury.

“It’s even more important when you work alone.”