Brampton, ON – King Roofing & Aluminum Contractors Inc., a King City constructor, was fined $90,000 for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured. A supervisor was fined $10,000 in relation to the same incident.
On August 11, 2008, workers from the company were replacing the roof of a home in Brampton. While moving a bucket of tar, one of the workers accidentally stepped off the roof. The worker fell to the ground below and the bucket of tar overturned, spilling tar on the fallen worker. The worker broke multiple bones and suffered third degree burns.
A Ministry of Labour investigation revealed that there was no form of fall protection at the project and the injured worker and another worker had not been trained in fall protection. The injured worker had also not been wearing appropriate clothing for work with hot tar.
King Roofing & Aluminum Contractors Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that:
■the workers were trained in fall protection
■the workers were adequately protected by a guardrail system
■the workers were wearing appropriate protection against injury for the hot tar
Joe Scarna, owner of the company and supervisor at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to failing, as a supervisor, to ensure that the workers were adequately protected by a guardrail system.
The fines were imposed by Justice of the Peace Jeannie Anand. In addition to the fines, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.