Worker’s Fall from Scaffold Results in $50,000 Fine

A worker was applying stucco to a wall on a new-home project. While standing on a scaffold next to the wall, he fell about 25 feet to the ground from at least the second level of the scaffold, suffering a spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia. An MOL investigation found that there was no guardrail on the scaffolding as required under the OHS regulations. The employer pleaded guilty to failing, as a constructor, to ensure that the measures and procedures prescribed by the regulation were carried out and was fined $50,000 [Hawksview Homes Ltd., Govt. News Release, April 10, 2015].