Construction company fined $200,000 after worker killed by falling concrete

 J.N.D. Erectors was fined $200,000 after a worker was killed when a concrete panel fell from a flatbed truck while it was being transferred with a crane and hoist. The court also imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Ontario Provincial Offences Act.

 

J.N.D. Erectors was a subcontractor on a work site in Toronto that was tasked with erecting panels of preset concrete onto the exterior wall of the building. The panels were transported via flat-bed truck and a crane and hoist were used to lift the panels from the truck. On March 27, 2017, the panels arrived on the site and an employee of J.N.D. Erectors proceeded to unload them. The panels were supported by two A-frames bolted to the truck, with transport chains securing two panels to each other.

 

The worker unhooked the chains from one panel; the first panel was hoisted away by crane. While preparing the second panel, it shifted and toppled onto the worker. The panel weighed over 6,000 pounds. The worker died from the injuries.

 

A surveillance camera captured the incident. A Ministry of Labour structural engineer stated in a report that the toppling would have been avoided if the panel had been secured at all times. The company was found guilty of failing as an employer to ensure that the measures and procedures prescribed by section 38 of Ontario Regulation 213/91 (the Construction Projects Regulation) were carried out. The regulation provides that "material or equipment at a project shall be stored and moved in a manner that does not endanger a worker."

 

J.N.D. Erectors had a prior health and safety conviction in 2014.

Source: Ontario Ministry of Labour