Company Facing Huge Fine After Worker Killed by Crane at Brampton Community Centre
Published November 27, 2017 at 11:36 pm
After a construction worker died on the job at a major Brampton community centre, a construction company and two of its employees have been slapped with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth in fi
After a construction worker died on the job at a major Brampton community centre, a construction company and two of its employees have been slapped with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth in fines.
On April 21, 2015, a Forma-Con construction worker was killed at Gore Meadows Library and Community Centre at 10150 The Gore Road in Brampton, which was under construction at that time. Forma-Con and two employees have now entered guilty pleas.
According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, here’s what happened:
“Forma-Con had been contracted by Bondfield Construction Company Ltd. (both of 407 Basaltic Road, Concord) to provide formwork and case cement for the project,” said the Ministry of Labour in a recent statement.
A crane was brought to the site for hoisting, but on April 9, 2015, licensed crane operator and Forma-Con worker Andry Sokhan texted Forma-Con supervisor Gordon Graham saying that the crane posed a danger on the worksite.
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Graham said that the crane should be shut down, however the crane continued to be used.
Subsequently, on April 21, 2015, the crane was being used to hoist aluminum joints.
“The crane operator hoisted the load and after receiving a signal to do so, began to lower the boom.”
Then, the crane tipped to the right of the operator’s cab, and the boom struck another worker, who was declared dead onsite.
“At no time was the crane taken out of operation by anyone at the project, despite the communications by the crane operator on April 9 that the crane was in a state of disrepair and posed a serious danger to the operator and everyone around.”
On October 30, 2017, supervisor Gordon Graham was fined $15,000 for failing as a supervisor to take precaution and insist that the crane be taken out of service after the crane operator said the crane was a serious danger, as it was in a state of disrepair.
On November 8, 2017, crane operator Andry Sokhan was fined $13,000 for failing as a worker to comply with the Construction Projects Regulation in that “no vehicle, machine, tool or equipment shall be used while it is defective or hazardous” according to Labour.
And on November 27, 2017, Forma-Con Construction was slapped with a $285,000 fine for failing as an employer to take every reasonable precaution to protect a worker.
The court also imposed 25-per-cent victim fine surcharges as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
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