A construction company has been penalized £40,200 after a tragic incident resulted in the death of a teenager who fell six stories down a ventilation shaft at a building site in west London.
Renols Lleshi, aged 19, was engaged in dismantling scaffolding on the 12th-floor roof garden of a residential building on Mill Hill Road, Ealing, in July 2023 when the covering over the shaft collapsed.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) determined that Jerram Falkus Construction Limited had inadequately covered the opening with plasterboard and roofing foam.
„To know that his death was caused by an accident which was entirely avoidable only makes our loss even harder to cope with,“ said Lleshi’s father.
According to HSE guidelines regarding work at height, employers are advised to conduct as much work as possible from the ground and ensure that workers can safely access and exit any area where elevated work is necessary.
The insufficient covering went unnoticed, and no alerts were issued to the scaffolding crew after standard inspections failed to include the roof garden at the Ark Soane Academy construction site.
HSE inspector Natalie Prince remarked,
„Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. This was a wholly avoidable incident that led to the death of a young man.“
Jerram Falkus Construction Limited admitted guilt for violating Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
On March 18, 2026, at City of London Magistrates‘ Court, the company was fined £40,200, in addition to a £2,000 surcharge and £5,000 in costs. Notably, the firm had entered administration a month prior to the court ruling.
The family of Lleshi expressed gratitude for the prosecution but emphasized,
„Nothing anybody can do can bring our loved one back or lessen our grief in any way.“
Jerram Falkus Construction Limited has been contacted for additional comments.
Bildquelle: Bildquelle: Wolfgang Weiser auf Unsplash
