Young Scaffolder Plunges to Death in Shocking London Rooftop Fall
Tragic Fall from 12th Floor
A 19-year-old scaffolder died after falling through a false ventilation shaft cover on a London rooftop. Renols Lleshi, from Ilford, was dismantling scaffolding on the 12th floor of a residential block at the Ark Soane Academy site, Mill Hill Road, in July 2023 when the fatal accident happened.
The ventilation shaft cover was flimsy — made of plasterboard and roofing foam — and it gave way beneath him. He plummeted six storeys and died instantly at the scene.
Company Fined £42,000 for Safety Failings
Jerram Falkus Construction Ltd admitted breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at City of London Magistrates’ Court. The firm was hit with a £42,000 fine, £5,000 in court costs, and a £2,000 surcharge after the deadly incident.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that routine inspections missed the dangerous ventilation shaft on the roof garden. No warnings were given to the scaffolding crew about the hazard. Lleshi worked for subcontractor Embassy Site Services Ltd, hired by Jerram Falkus Construction.
HSE Condemns Safety Blunders
HSE Inspector Natalie Prince said: “Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of death and serious injury in construction. This tragic death was wholly avoidable.”
Family Heartbroken as Company Hits Financial Collapse
Renols Lleshi’s father said: “My family and I are devastated by the loss of Renols. To know his death was caused by an accident that was entirely avoidable only makes our grief harder to bear. Nothing can bring him back or ease our pain.”
Jerram Falkus Construction went into administration in February. Once a long-standing family firm with a £47.6 million turnover, it was mainly handling projects for local councils and housing associations in London and the South East.
The company’s pre-tax profits plummeted to just £37,000 in the year ending July 2024.
