Installer safety culture must change before the next preventable fall, says founder of Stronghold, Daniel Cheddie.

Working at height has always been part of the fenestration trade. But too often, it’s still approached as a routine task rather than the serious risk it represents to installers, businesses and the public.

In recent months we’ve again seen incidents that should make the entire sector pause. One installer was fined £36,000 after workers were spotted removing window frames 8m above the ground with no protection to prevent a fall.

A passer-by filmed operatives leaning out of an opening and dropping part of a window frame to the ground, narrowly missing a pedestrian.

When the case reached court, it emerged there had been no adequate risk assessment, no proper access equipment, no formal training and no supervision.

Situations like this don’t just harm the companies involved; they reinforce a damaging perception that our industry cuts corners on safety. And that reputation affects everyone, from installers bidding for contracts to larger home improvement firms trying to build consumer trust.

The reality is that the regulatory expectations are clear. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, contractors must demonstrate robust planning, supervision and the use of the safest practical equipment on every job.

When that doesn’t happen, the consequences can be severe. Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can lead to unlimited fines, legal action and long-term damage to a company’s reputation and insurability.

But beyond compliance, this is fundamentally about people. According to HSE statistics, falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities in the UK, responsible for dozens of worker deaths each year, many within construction and maintenance environments like our own.

As someone who has spent years on site as an installer, I’ve seen the risks first-hand. I’ve heard stories of workers leaning out of openings while a colleague holds onto their belt, or improvised tethers tied to whatever furniture happens to be nearby.

Those situations don’t happen because installers are careless. They happen because the industry has historically accepted them as normal.

That’s the culture we need to change – and it’s exactly why I developed Stronghold.

A safety solution that allows window repairs and installations to be carried out from inside the property while still providing proper fall protection, it’s a system that can be assembled quickly by trained engineers, span large openings and create secure anchor points that allow installers to work freely while remaining protected.

The real shift, however, isn’t about any single product or system. It’s about mindset.
If the fenestration sector wants to strengthen its reputation and protect its workforce, we need more joined-up thinking across the board. Safety shouldn’t be treated as a box-ticking exercise, it should be a shared industry standard.

Because when it comes to working at height, one preventable incident is already one too many.