Toronto Project Manager Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison After Deadly Scaffolding Accident

Toronto Project Manager Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison After Deadly Scaffolding Accident

Safetech Consulting - Monday, April 04, 2016

Background
In a move that has rocked businesses in Toronto and all over Canada, a project manager was found guilty in June, 2015 of four counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. He will serve 3.5 years in jail for each offence, served concurrently.

The construction company has become the first firm in Ontario history with a conviction for criminal negligence causing death in the shocking scaffold catastrophe.
As the worst construction accident in more than half a century in Toronto, the tragedy prompted a provincial examination of and amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act to increase protection for workers and reduce accidents. The harsh sentence handed down to both the company and the individual project manager sends a clear message to all workplace parties that non-compliance with health and safety requirements will have serious consequences.


Safety for All


While everyone in the work environment has a role to play in ensuring health and safety compliance, the overall responsibility for creating a safe work environment rests on the employer.  Even with the best of intentions, occupational health and safety legislation can be a minefield to navigate, taking up valuable time and resources. 
It is essential to be able to find the health and safety legislation that is applicable to your business and then implement the policies and procedures that will ensure compliance with the legislation. You also need to keep up to date with (and fully understand) the changes to legislation that are made from time to time; therefore, you need to know how to update your policies and procedures to maintain compliance. 
Having all the correct and up to date policies and procedures is simply not enough to constitute a proper health and safety program. Monitoring and enforcing compliance in the workplace is still required and can be a tall order, particularly when the individuals performing the hazardous work can often become accustomed to the risks they face every day and compliance becomes a chore rather than a necessity.


Better Safe Than Sorry


Outsourcing your company’s occupational health and safety functions has many benefits, including:

• frees up time and resources that could be more effectively spent on growing your business
• provides the necessary skills and expertise to identify and manage specific risks in your workplace
• ensures compliance with all legislation
• keeps policies and procedures up to date
• allows customized policies and procedures that suit your business
• ensures the safety of your workplace