Summary:
Jerram Falkus Construction Limited has been fined £42,200 (plus a £2,000 surcharge and £5,000 in costs) after 19-year-old labourer Renols Lleshi died in July 2023. Renols fell six floors down a ventilation shaft on a London building site while dismantling scaffolding. An HSE investigation found the shaft was inadequately covered by only plasterboard and roofing foam, and routine inspections had failed to identify this hazard in the roof garden area.
Analysis:
This incident represents a tragic and “wholly avoidable” workplace fatality stemming from clear breaches of safety regulations, specifically the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The inadequate covering of the ventilation shaft, combined with a failure in routine site inspections to identify this critical hazard, demonstrates a significant lapse in safety protocols. The case underscores the severe consequences of negligence for both individuals and companies, highlighting the legal and moral imperative for construction firms to implement robust safety planning, supervision, and maintain appropriate equipment to protect workers from foreseeable risks, particularly those associated with working at height.