Fatal Fall from Ladder Results in $100,000 Fine

A worker at a greenhouse was watering bales of potting soil, each of which was about eight feet tall. To water a bale, workers must climb a ladder, install a homemade watering wand into the top of the bale and turn on a timed, metered water pump. While the worker was on a ladder in the process of switching the wand from one bale to another, he misstepped on a ladder rung, lost his balance and fell, suffering head injuries. He died in the hospital several weeks later. The greenhouse pleaded guilty to failing to provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker on how to safely water bales and was fined $100,000 [Aldershot Greenhouses Ltd., Govt. News Release, Feb. 29, 2016].