Owner Jailed, Company Fined $50,000 for Roofer’s Death & Lying to the MOL

A worker was installing roofing membrane from a ladder when he lost his balance and fell about six metres, striking a fence. He had been wearing fall protection but it wasn’t affixed to anything at the time of the fall. He died from his injuries. When asked to identify the deceased worker, the owner of the company lied about where the worker had been working and what he was doing. The company also didn’t immediately notify the MOL of the fatality or submit a written report within 48 hours as required by law. The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure safety measures were carried out as required and to notify an inspector and was fined $50,000. The owner pleaded guilty to failing, as a supervisor, to ensure that a worker works with required protective devices and knowingly furnishing an inspector with false information. Given that the MOL and police expended significant resources as a result of the false information he provided, the court sentenced him to 15 days in jail [Roofing Medics Ltd. and Paul Markewycz, Govt. News Release, Nov. 22, 2013].