Worker fell while positioning wooden roof trusses
Ontario employer Kingsview Carpentry Ltd. has been fined $140,000 after one of its workers sustained a fatal injury on the job site.
Following a guilty plea in the Provincial Offences Court in Owen Sound, the company was also ordered to pay a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as mandated by the Provincial Offences Act. This surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund designed to assist victims of crime.
The incident occurred on February 22, 2023, while Kingsview Carpentry was acting as the principal framing contractor on a residential construction project. The company was responsible for overseeing other framing sub-contractors on site.
As part of the project, Kingsview hired Groulx Construction to install pre-engineered roof trusses atop the garage of a single-family home under construction.
Just prior to the incident, workers from Groulx Construction were preparing to separate the roof trusses they had previously hoisted onto the garage walls.
To assist in keeping the trusses upright, Groulx Construction had constructed a wooden support system in the centre of the garage. However, this structure was not designed or intended to function as a work platform.
A worker from Groulx Construction climbed onto the support system to reposition the trusses. During this task, the support system collapsed.
The worker was not wearing any kind of fall protection and fell to ground below, sustaining a fatal injury.
“Kingsview Carpentry Ltd. failed, as an employer, to provide the worker with a scaffold, suspended work platform, boatswain’s chair or multi-point suspended work platform that met the requirements of Ontario Regulation 213/91, contrary to section 125(1) of that regulation. This is contrary to section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA),” saif the Ontario government.
Section 125(1) of the regulation states: Where work cannot be done on or from the ground or from a building or other permanent structure without hazard to workers, a worker shall be provided with a scaffold, a suspended work platform, a boatswain’s chair or a multi-point suspended work platform that meets the requirements of this Regulation.
Meanwhile, section 25(1)(c) of the OSHA states: An employer shall ensure that the measures and procedures prescribed are carried out in the workplace.
Why is fall protection important?
“Falls are common causes of serious work related injuries and deaths. Fall protection planning can help to eliminate the hazards or control the risks associated with working near openings or at heights,” said the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
“Fall protection plans must be specific to each site where workers are at heights. There is "no one size fits all" plan. Requirements and equipment used will change from workplace to workplace, site to site, and job to job.”
A site-specific fall protection plan will incorporate many items, including:
- site location (address, description, work area, tasks)
- site-specific fall hazards (e.g., maximum height(s), roof slope if applicable, proximity to power lines, ground cover, etc.)
- type of fall protection to be used,
- protection to be used, including anchor points , and clearance requirements
- procedures for fall protection equipment inspection, set-up, use, and removal
- any other requirements before beginning work (e.g., presence of first aid or rescue personnel, other safety equipment, barricades, etc.)
- rescue procedures
- worker sign off
