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Construction firm fined £40,000 over teen labourer death



A construction firm has been fined £40,200 after a teenage labourer fell to his death on one of its sites.


Nineteen-year-old Renols Lleshi was helping dismantle scaffolding on the 12th floor of one of Jarram Falkus Construction Limited’s London sites in July 2023.

As he stepped onto a ventilation shaft, the covering gave way and he fell six floors to his death.

A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the ventilation shaft had only been covered by a sheet of plasterboard and roofing foam.

Routine inspections of the building did not include the roof area, meaning this inadequate covering when undetected with no warning given to the scaffolding team.

Jerram Falkus Construction Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was fined £42,200, a surcharge of £2000 and ordered to pay £5000 in costs at City of London Magistrates Court on 18th March 2026.

“Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries,” said HSE inspector Natalie Prince.

“This was a wholly avoidable incident that led to the death of a young man.

“My thoughts are with Renols’ family and friends.”



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