Construction firm fined £42,200 following fatal fall of teenage labourer

KEY INFORMATION:

• Jerram Falkus Construction Limited has been fined £42,200 following a workplace fatality.
• Renols Lleshi, a 19-year-old labourer, died after falling six floors through a ventilation shaft.
• An HSE investigation found the shaft was inadequately covered by plasterboard and foam.
• The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
• Routine safety inspections had failed to include the roof garden area where the incident occurred.

A construction company has been fined £42,200 at the City of London Magistrates Court following the death of a teenage labourer on a building site.

The prosecution, brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), followed an incident on 5 July 2023 at the Ark Soane Academy site on Mill Hill Road, London W3. Renols Lleshi, 19, was assisting in the dismantling of scaffolding on a 12th-floor roof garden when he stepped onto a ventilation shaft. The covering of the shaft gave way, resulting in a six-storey fall that led to his death.

Findings of the HSE investigation

The Health and Safety Executive conducted a thorough investigation into the site’s safety protocols. Investigators discovered that the ventilation shaft had been covered only by a single sheet of plasterboard and roofing foam. This material was not structurally sufficient to support the weight of a worker.

Furthermore, the investigation revealed that routine inspections of the building had not included the roof garden area. Consequently, the inadequate covering of the shaft remained undetected by site management. No warnings regarding the potential hazard were issued to the scaffolding team before they began work in that specific location.

Legal proceedings and penalties

Jerram Falkus Construction Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. At the hearing on 18 March 2026, the company was fined £42,200. In addition to the fine, the court ordered a £2,000 surcharge and the payment of £5,000 in costs.

HSE Inspector Natalie Prince noted that falls from height remain one of the primary causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries in the UK. She stated that the incident was wholly avoidable and highlighted the necessity for employers to ensure that all work at height is properly planned and supervised.

Safety guidance for working at height

Current HSE guidance specifies that employers must ensure any equipment used for working at height is suitable, stable, and strong enough for the intended task. Sites must be properly maintained, and workers must have safe access to and from work areas.

The father of the deceased labourer expressed the family’s devastation, noting that the avoidable nature of the incident made the loss harder to cope with. The HSE remains the national regulator for workplace health and safety, dedicated to protecting people and maintaining safety standards across the construction industry.

OFFICIAL SOURCE VERIFICATION: This report is based on official data from Council / Local Authority. Document: Construction firm fined after death of teenage labourer Source Link: https://press.hse.gov.uk/2026/03/19/construction-firm-fined-after-death-of-teenage-labourer/

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