Safety depends on the user ‘maintaining a firm grip at all times’
A construction worker died on Aug. 5, 2025 after suffering a panic attack partway up a ladder and losing her grip, findings from Quebec's Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) show.
The worker then fell roughly four metres during a roof renovation project at a Montreal school, reported The Canadian Press (CP).
Incident details
The worker – employed by Toitures trois étoiles – was undergoing practical on-the-job training at the time of the incident, according to the report. She had been assigned to a roof renewal project at Notre-Dame-des-Anges school in Montreal, noted CP.
The worker spent the morning of Aug. 5 preparing equipment and materials at ground level under supervision. She was then required to climb a nine-metre ladder to reach the roof. The CNESST confirmed the ladder was properly secured to the roofline in accordance with regulatory requirements, according to the report.
Partway up the climb – at an approximate height of four metres – the worker began experiencing acute distress and told the employer's representative accompanying her that she felt unwell, CP reported. The representative moved to the base of the ladder and placed his hands on the rungs in an attempt to provide assistance but was unable to prevent her fall. Emergency services were contacted immediately, and the worker was pronounced dead in hospital.
Training and equipment findings
CNESST investigators found the worker had completed mandatory general health and safety training for construction sites prior to the incident, CP noted. Records reviewed by the regulator showed she had also reviewed company documentation upon hiring, including a summary of the employer's prevention program covering safe ladder use.
The worker had signed acknowledgment of that documentation, according to the CNESST findings relayed by CP. She had additionally been issued the personal protective equipment required under the roofing company's policies and had signed the corresponding records.
Investigators identified no deficiencies in the training or equipment provided to the worker, based on the documentation reviewed, CP reported. The CNESST's report instead focused on the nature of ladder access itself as a contributing factor in the incident.
Portable ladders remain a permitted means of access under Quebec's Construction Work Safety Code, provided they meet applicable technical requirements.
The regulator noted that when using ladders, safety depends on the user “maintaining a firm grip at all times," the CNESST stated in its report, as quoted by CP.
