Third Construction Death in Six Months Prompts Mayor’s Office to Announce Emergency Safety Review

The Mayor of London has announced an emergency safety review of the capital's construction industry after a third worker died on a building site in just six months. The latest fatality occurred on Wednesday morning at a major residential development on the Old Kent Road in Southwark, where a 38-year-old scaffolder fell approximately 15 metres from an incomplete structure. His death follows incidents in Stratford in January and Nine Elms in March that claimed the lives of two other workers.

Details of the Latest Fatality

The Health and Safety Executive confirmed that the worker, named locally as Polish national Marek Kowalski who had lived in Bermondsey for eight years, fell from scaffolding on the twelfth floor of a 24-storey residential tower at approximately 7:45am. Despite the rapid response of London Ambulance Service paramedics and London's Air Ambulance, Mr Kowalski was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Our inspectors arrived on site within two hours and have issued an immediate prohibition notice, halting all work at height on this development," said HSE Principal Inspector Diana Chambers. "A full investigation is underway and we will be examining whether adequate fall protection measures were in place, the condition of the scaffolding, and the training and supervision of workers."

Mayor Announces Emergency Review

In a statement from City Hall, the Mayor said the deaths represented "an unacceptable failure" by the construction industry. "Three workers have lost their lives on London building sites in six months. Each death is a devastating tragedy for their families and communities, and a damning indictment of safety standards on too many of our construction sites," he said. The emergency review will examine safety practices across all major developments in the capital, with a particular focus on work at height, temporary structures, and the supervision of subcontracted workers.

The review panel will include representatives from the HSE, Unite the Union, the Construction Industry Training Board, and independent safety consultants. It is expected to report its initial findings within 90 days.

Union Demands Immediate Changes

Unite regional officer Steve McCarthy condemned what he called a "culture of cutting corners" on London building sites. "Marek Kowalski was a skilled, experienced scaffolder who should have gone home to his wife and two children last night," he said. "The construction industry is booming — developers are making billions from London's housing crisis — yet workers continue to die because companies refuse to invest properly in safety. We are demanding an immediate halt to all work at height across this developer's portfolio until every site has been independently inspected."

Industry Response and Wider Context

The developer behind the Old Kent Road project, Meridian Developments Ltd, expressed "deep sorrow" and said the company was cooperating fully with the HSE investigation. However, London Accident News has learned that the same developer received two improvement notices from the HSE in 2024 relating to inadequate edge protection at another London site. HSE records show that 17 construction workers have died on London building sites in the past three years, making the capital's construction sector one of the most dangerous in western Europe by per-capita fatality rates.