Employer Fined $100,000 for Worker’s Fatal Fall Through Skylight

Workers were repairing a leak in the warehouse’s roof, which had six plastic dome covered skylights. A worker walking backwards tripped on the flashing of a skylight and fell through it about 5.5 metres to the concrete floor below. He died from his injuries. The MOL found that there were no guardrails around the skylights and the skylights themselves didn’t constitute a protective covering over openings in the roof. In addition, the workers weren’t wearing or using any form of fall protection. The employer pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that a guardrail or protective covering was used to prevent workers from falling through the skylights and was fined $100,000 [APCO Industries Co. Ltd., Govt. News Release, March 21, 2013].