Ontario’s Ministry of Labour reports that Pioneer Construction Inc. of Sudbury has been fined $50,000 for worker fall at the Thunder Bay International Airport.
“While working on a float truck, a worker fell from a ladder and was injured,” the MoL reports. “The ladder should have been secured at the top and bottom to prevent movement.”
The offence reportedly occurred on July 29, 2016, where Pioneer was resurfacing the asphalt of the airports’s north runway.
The MoL says the contractor pleaded guilty. In addition to the fine, the court also imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge.
The government news release says the incident occurred when a float truck operator was working to secure a mobile office unit on the truck.
“Chains were attached to the mobile office unit and a loader hoisted the mobile office unit and placed it onto the float truck,” the release said.
“With the unit on the float truck, the worker was to climb to the top of the mobile office unit using a ladder, and detach the chains.
“The worker put the ladder on the deck of the float truck to get to the top of the mobile office unit. While the worker was on the ladder, the ladder slipped backwards and down.
“The worker fell, lost consciousness and suffered bodily injuries.
“The ladder had not been secured at the top and the bottom to prevent movement.”
“As such, the defendant Pioneer Construction Inc. failed to comply with the section 82(2)(d) of the Construction Projects Regulation (Ontario Regulation 213/91), as required by section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.”