Workplace Safety • Resilience • Disability Inclusion
Still Climbing
A powerful, first-hand talk about the human impact of workplace safety—and why proper planning, effective controls and speaking up matter.
Safety that stays with people
Lester Cassidy was 19 and working as an apprentice carpenter when a fall from scaffolding on a Leixlip building site left him with a spinal cord injury.
Today, he speaks with site teams, managers and organisations about the lifelong impact of one workplace fall—and the actions that help everyone go home safely.
24 ft
The distance Lester fell in 1998
19
Lester’s age when his life changed
764 m
The summit of Croagh Patrick, reached in 2022
€150,000
Raised for Spinal Injuries Ireland and the National Rehabilitation Hospital
Why the message still matters
Falls from height remain one of the most serious risks in construction. Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a community. Lester’s story makes that risk personal. Source: HSA and HSENI, February 2026.
68 fatalities
Caused by falls from height in construction across the island of Ireland
10 years
Recorded from 2016 to 2025
1 shared goal
Everyone home safely
What every site should remember
Safe work at height depends on good planning, effective controls and people who are prepared to speak up.
Plan the work
Work at height must be properly planned, organised and carried out by competent people using suitable equipment.
Speak up
If something does not look right, stop and raise it. A short pause can prevent a life-changing injury.
Check the controls
Do not begin until the required inspections, edge protection and safe access are in place.
Look out for one another
Follow the plan, avoid shortcuts and help everyone go home safely.
It’s about getting everyone home safely.
Lester Cassidy
Talks shaped around your audience
Workplace safety
A first-hand account of a fall from height and its lifelong impact, connected to planning, effective controls, speaking up and avoiding shortcuts. For safety days, site events, toolbox talks and conferences.
Resilience and motivation
A story of adapting after a spinal cord injury, recovering from brain surgery and reaching the summit of Croagh Patrick with a community behind him.
Disability inclusion
An honest account of life as a wheelchair user, focused on accessibility, participation and the assumptions that can hold people back.
Nobody climbs alone
On 25 June 2022, Lester reached the summit of Croagh Patrick in a purpose-built buggy, supported by teams of family, friends and volunteers.
Together they raised €150,000 for Spinal Injuries Ireland and the National Rehabilitation Hospital.
Bring a memorable message to your next event
Every talk is shaped around the audience and the purpose of the event—from site teams and safety campaigns to conferences, schools and community groups.