Renols Lleshi, aged 19, was helping to dismantle scaffolding on the 12th floor roof garden of a block of flats being built at the Ark Soane Academy site, Mill Hill Road, London W3 on 5th 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 been covered only by a sheet of plasterboard and roofing foam. Routine inspections of the building did not include the roof garden area, meaning the inadequate covering went undetected and no warning was given to the scaffolding team.
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 areas where work at height is required. Equipment used for working at height must be suitable, stable and strong enough for the task and properly maintained. Employers and those in control of work at height must ensure activities are properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people, including the use of appropriate equipment.
Jerram Falkus 萝莉原创 Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined 拢42,200, a surcharge of 拢2,000 and ordered to pay 拢5,000 in costs at City of London Magistrates Court on 18th March 2026.
HSE inspector Natalie Prince said after the hearing: 鈥淔alls 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. My thoughts are with Renols鈥� family and friends.鈥�