A minute’s silence is being held for a worker killed in Leytonstone, London

A minute’s silence will be held at 11am on Thursday 21 December at the building site in Pevensey Rd, Leytonstone where a construction worker lost his life when a roof collapsed during a house refurbishment there last week on 12 December.

Leytonstone: construction worker killed by collapsing roof

As the Waltham Forest Echo reported:

The man, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was found trapped under rubble by firefighters attending the Pevensey Road end-of-terraced house shortly after 5pm. He was pulled out and received emergency treatment from London Fire Brigade (LFB). He was later pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance crews.

The incident also left a second man in hospital with “minor injuries”, police said. Emergency services have not reported any other injuries stemming from the incident.

There are scant details available of the person who died. Locals in Leytonstone report that police are releasing no information until his family have been informed. They are overseas and as yet haven’t been contacted.

Kevin Parslow, Secretary, Waltham Forest Trades Council (WFTC) said:

We will hold a respectful vigil at the site and mark the deceased’s passing with a minute’s silence. We have a long history of marking those who die at work and the preventable nature of most of this. Our thoughts will be with the deceased’s family and friends and for all those who die at or because of their work.

Our ‘de-regulated, anti-health and safety society’

Every year on 28 April WFTC marks Workers Memorial Day – remembering those historically killed working in the borough and all those millions killed every year around the world.

Parslow added:

Sadly we now have another person to add to the list of those killed in Waltham Forest we remember every April 28.

The victim’s death comes after the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) reported a massive rise in construction worker deaths – up to 45 in 2022/23 from 29 in 2021/22.

Parslow concluded:

In our de-regulated, anti-health and safety society where our safety police are shackled to virtual inaction by the government we call for an urgent change of policy from government and HSE that will see preventative, pro-active actions that will lead to an end to all deaths at work.

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