Subcontractor Fined $85,000 for Worker’s Fall Through Hole in the Floor

One of a subcontractor’s workers was assigned to grind the concrete floor of the fourth storey to prepare it for finishing work. He noticed a piece of plywood on the floor and went to pick it up and move it out of the way, not realizing that the wood was covering a hole in the floor. He fell almost 13 feet and landed on the third floor below, injuring his foot and back. The subcontractor was found guilty of failing to ensure that an opening on a work surface had either a guardrail system or a protective covering that was securely fastened and adequately identified as covering an opening. The court fined it $85,000 [Structform International Ltd., Govt. News Release, June 12, 2013].