The September Shortlist

📝 Noteworthy news and updates.

TfL fined £2m after a 74-year-old was killed on a crossing that had already seen a collision
On 25 September, Westminster Magistrates' Court fined TfL £2m over the death of Grace Mecaley, who was hit by a bus on a pedestrian crossing at Walthamstow Bus Station in December 2023. Someone had been hit there in similar circumstances in April 2022, and the crossing was never risk-assessed afterwards. CCTV showed five near misses in the two days before she died. If a yard or depot of yours has had a near miss, did you look at your layout afterwards?
Waltham Forest Echo, 25 September 2026

A 130kg window fell 26 floors and killed a man on his break. A year earlier, one nearly hit two workers.
On 24 September, nearly eight years after Mick Ferris died, two companies were sentenced over his death. He was 53 and on his break when a pane fell from a penthouse at The Corniche in London. After a trial, St James Ltd was fined £1m and window designer Lindner Prater £300,000. The windows relied on a single restrictor held by a single screw. When a window fell in 2017 there was a review, but the concerns weren't followed up.
Construction Enquirer, 24 September 2026

Two trench deaths sentenced a week apart
On 9 September at the Old Bailey, two firms were fined a combined £1.15m over the death of Geo Arsene, 33, who was buried under two tonnes of soil in an unsupported trench in Banstead. The contracts manager got a suspended sentence: he'd seen the trench that morning and didn't stop the job. Six days later at Ipswich Crown Court, Peter Clifford was jailed for 8 years 10 months for the gross negligence manslaughter of Dale Baker, 30, who died when a trench side collapsed in Woodbridge. Trench collapse is often catastrophic if somebody is in the excavation at the time of the collapse; do you know your critical controls?
BBC News, September 2026

Illegal gas work convictions: 17 since the start of 2025
HSE marked Gas Safety Week (14-20 September). 17 people have been convicted since the start of 2025, compared with three in 2022/23 and four in 2023/24. One trader had faked the Gas Safe logo.
PHAM News, 16 September 2026

New stair guidance for tall buildings from 30 September, and the Building Safety Levy from 1 October
The 2026 changes to Approved Document B came into effect on 30 September: new flats with a top storey 18m or more above ground should have more than one independent stair. There are transitional arrangements for schemes already in the system.
GOV.UK, Building Safety Levy guidance

🛠️ Noteworthy apps, tools, and resources.

PiONAiR RX-3000 | A hard hat with a powered respirator built in, no belt blower or hose
Launched on 9 September, it combines a hard hat, visor and a TH3 powered respirator in one unit. Because it's loose-fitting, there's no face fit test. It's aimed at silica and other dusty trades.
Industrial Compliance, 9 September 2026

Siderise Inspection | An app that walks installers through passive fire checks with photo evidence
Featured in Construction News on 4 September, it takes installers through step-by-step checks with photos at each stage, then Siderise verifies the work. It only covers Siderise products, but getting photo evidence before the wall gets boarded over is a great idea.
Construction News, 4 September 2026

Osborne Technologies Cloud Inductions | Site inductions done online before arrival, with expiry reminders
Launched on 18 September, it lets contractors do their induction before they turn up and get a digital certificate, and the system also chases renewals.
HSE Network, 18 September 2026