Michael Hall was having his home in Dobcroft Road refurbished. A new staircase had been put in but there was no bannister yet when he fell down them three metres, not even a temporary handrail.
Mr Hall suffered a broken spine, massive head injuries and several broken ribs in the incident on 23 June 2010. He was in intensive care and spent several months in hospital undergoing numerous operations, including a tracheotomy.
The builder working on the refurbishment, Robin Atherton, trading as Mack Construction, reported the incident to Health & Safety Executive - a legal obligation - which investigated and brought a prosecution.
Yesterday Sheffield magistrates fined Mr Atherton, of Jordanthorpe View, Sheffield £5,000 with costs of £4,000 after he pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for safety failings.
HSE inspector Medani Close, who carried out the investigation, said the case had been a whisker away from being a fatality. "Mr Hall was lucky to survive the devastating injuries he sustained in this fall. But his life was shattered and it also had a huge impact on his wife, Sally, and his business.
"However this tragic fall could so easily have been avoided. The simplest of measures, a temporary handrail fitted to the open side of the new staircase in his home, could have prevented his fall and saved a huge amount of suffering.
"It is a vivid and sad reminder that unnecessary risks are taken far too often in construction, one of the most dangerous sectors of industry."
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