Ontario Construction News staff writer
A London roofing services company has been fined $75,000 after a worker fell 15 feet through a roof opening while doing work on a commercial building project.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires companies to take all necessary steps to prevent falls, and to ensure that workers wear protective headwear.
On Dec. 18, 2020, workers from H&N Roofing & Sheet Metal Limited were working on the fifth floor of a commercial building on Queens Avenue in London.
They were doing roofing work around an opening in the roof that had been cut by another company on the project. The opening was approximately four feet by eight feet and only covered by Styrofoam insulation.
One of the workers near the opening lost their footing, slipped and fell 15 feet through the opening to a concrete floor below. The worker was not wearing any fall protection or head protection.
The company was fined $70,000 for contravening section 26.1(2) of the act and $5,000 for contravening section 22 of Ontario Regulation 213.
The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which is credited to a special provincial government fund.
The incident is a reminder that companies must take all necessary steps to prevent falls and that failure to do so can result in significant penalties.
