Incident marks third death in a year, says report
A carpenter from western Prince Edward Island has been fined $30,000 after an employee died from a fall at a job site that lacked proper safety measures, according to a report.
The $30,000 penalty includes a $2,500 fine and a $27,500 payment to the Workers Compensation Board to support public education on workplace safety.
That came after Trevor Burden, 54, pleaded guilty in Summerside to charges under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, reported CBC.
The incident occurred on January 13 in St. Felix, where Burden and his employee were building a garage. While working on the roof, the 34-year-old employee fell.
He was not wearing fall protection and there were no guardrails on the scaffolding, according to an agreed statement of facts presented in court.
The worker, who had been with Burden for more than 15 years, was found unresponsive. Emergency services were called, and CPR was performed, but the man later died in hospital, according to the report.
The P.E.I. Workers Compensation Board’s OHS Division was notified and began a formal investigation the same day.
The investigation revealed that Burden had previously been inspected and warned about fall protection requirements, following an earlier workplace injury involving the same employee in December 2022. Despite having completed fall-arrest training, both Burden and his employee did not follow proper safety protocols at the time of the fatal incident, according to CBC.
The court found that Burden failed to properly supervise his employee and did not have a fall-arrest system in place at the worksite. P.E.I. law requires employers to provide and ensure the use of adequate fall protection equipment when working at heights, and for workers to use this equipment when it is provided, according to the report.
This case marks the third workplace death in Prince Edward Island in less than a year. During sentencing, the judge and Crown prosecutor emphasized the need for penalties that deter employers from neglecting safety regulations, while also acknowledging the impact on small businesses. Burden’s operation now consists only of himself and his son, and he has adopted new safety practices with plans for further training, according to CBC.
