Building firm fined £40k after teen dies in fall

A construction firm has been fined £40,200 after a teenager died after falling six floors down a ventilation shaft on a building site in west London.

Renols Lleshi, 19, had been dismantling scaffolding on the 12th floor roof garden of a block of flats on Mill Hill Road, Ealing in July 2023 when the covering on top of the shaft gave way.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Jerram Falkus Construction Limited had covered the hole with plasterboard and roofing foam.

Lleshi's father said: "To know that his death was caused by an accident which was entirely avoidable only makes our loss even harder to cope with."

HSE guidance on working at height states that employers should carry out as much work as possible from the ground, and ensure workers can safely access and leave any area where work at height is required.

The inadequate covering went undetected, and no warning was given to the scaffolding team after routine checks failed to include the roof garden at the Ark Soane Academy site.

HSE inspector Natalie Prince said: "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 pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was fined £40,200, ordered to pay a £2,000 surcharge and £5,000 in costs at City of London Magistrates' Court on 18 March 2026.

The firm went into administration a month earlier.

Lleshi's family was grateful for the prosecution but added: "Nothing anybody can do can bring our loved one back or lessen our grief in any way."

Jerram Falkus Construction Limited has been approached for further comment.

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