Two workers were injured when a section of an unbraced masonry block wall collapsed
Two Ontario employers were recently fined for injuries to two workers.
Fortis Construction Group Inc. was fined $85,000 while Vito Masonry Ltd. was fined $45,00 for an incident that happened in 2021.
The employers must also pay 25 per cent victim fine surcharges as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
In November 2021, Fortis was the constructor of a new school in Windsor. Fortis had hired Vito to complete masonry work, including building block walls.
On Nov. 9, a freestanding interior masonry block wall, 54 feet long and 13.5 feet tall, was completed. The wall was not braced by either Fortis or Vito workers.
On Nov. 11, workers from both companies were on the second floor of the building. The weather that morning was unremarkable.
In the early afternoon, the weather changed, with wind speed reaching over 32 km/h. During that time, a section of the unbraced masonry block wall collapsed, injuring two workers.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found that the masonry block wall was inadequately braced.
“Fortis Construction Group Inc. failed, as a constructor, to ensure that the wall was adequately braced as required by section 31(1)(b) of Regulation 213/91, a violation of section 23(1)(b) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act,” said the Ontario government.
Meanwhile, “Vito Masonry Ltd. failed, as an employer, to ensure that the wall was adequately braced as required by section 31(1)(b) of Regulation 213/91, a violation of section 25(1)(b) of the Act,” according to the government
