WHITBY, ONTARIO – A Mississauga roofing company pleaded guilty and has been fined $57,500 after a worker fell through a roof and was seriously injured.
The company, Paiva Roofing Ltd., was working on the roof of an industrial establishment at 850 McKay Road in Pickering on April 30, 2015. The day before, the work crew had removed heating, ventilation and air conditioning cones and other roofing material from the roof. On the morning of the incident, one of the workers went through an opening in the roof and fell 28 feet onto the concrete floor below, sustaining serious injuries.
The defendant failed to ensure that the worker was adequately protected by a guardrail system, in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Ontario Regulation 213/91 (the Construction Projects Regulation).
The company pleaded guilty to failing, as an employer, to ensure that a worker worked in accordance with the measures and procedures prescribed by law.
The fine of $57,500 was imposed by Justice of the Peace Robert G. Boychyn in Whitby court on March 1, 2017.
The court also 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.
– Ministry of Labour