Last week Willmott Dixon’s All Safe Ambassador, Dylan Skelhorn, came to our office to share his story about how one decision changed his life forever.

In 2011, a chimney Dylan was working on collapsed and he was sent crashing onto a garden wall more than 10m below. He suffered two broken ribs, a punctured lung and he snapped his pelvis on both sides. Dylan is 40% disabled, cannot walk without crutches and relies on a cocktail of 744 pills every month to manage his pain and can no longer do the things he always enjoyed.

Dylan was unhappy with the safety conditions he was told to work in when the accident happened and in hindsight wishes he’d trusted his instincts to air his concerns. It took just a few seconds for Dylan to make a decision that changed his life forever.

Since his fall, Dylan has devoted his life to promoting safe working environments by setting up a charity, Safety Up, to spread his safety message.

Dylan says, “By telling people of my own experience, which is a harsh reminder that unfortunately incidents still happen today in construction, it puts a spotlight on people’s own behaviour and how just simply actions can prevent a similar accident that I suffered. You can’t afford to cut corners or turn a blind eye because you think it’s not your responsibility, safe sites are everyone’s responsibility.”

Malcolm McDermott, Managing Director, said, “Safety is the responsibility of everyone working on site. We wanted Dylan to come and talk to our team to reinforce why our health and safety controls exist, how important it is to work safe and what can happen if you don’t. ”