Excerpt from the OH&S Canada magazine (Sept. 2015)
A worker at a construction site in Lethbridge, Alberta, has died of his injuries after falling from a roof, according to information from the OH&S division of the province’s Ministry of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour.
Ministry spokesperson Wayne Wood confirms that the 51-year-old man was performing a task on the roof of an elementary school under construction in the subdivision of Legacy Ridge when the incident occurred on August 5th, 2015. The worker was doing some welding and fell off the roof from a height of about 9 meters. “He was transported to the hospital in Lethbridge, and he died shortly after arriving in hospital,” Wood says.
Following the incident, the man’s employer put a voluntary stop-work order on the construction site to allow OH&S authorities to examine the scene of the accident.
My opinion
Can the reader see the intent on safety here? I cannot!
Follow the line, the man’s employer PUT a voluntary stop-work order on the site. In Alberta, the company can put a voluntary stop-work order. In Quebec, B.C., Ontario, and NFLD, the Ministry would take direct control and place the stop-orders themselves. The man’s employer did not find the time to protect the worker and deal with potential safety issues so why let them decide the fate of the construction site? Does not make any sense.
The Ministry of Labour, for any province, needs to take total control of the jobsite, be it, 1) construction, 2) industrial, 3) mining, 4) healthcare or 5) the oil industry when dealing with an unsafe employer.
Here we find the Alberta Ministry, again, taking a mild stand when dealing with an employer out there. Too bad, too. The ordinary Alberta worker NEEDS protection from unsafe employers but will not get it in that province.
If the reader needs more information, please use Alberta subheading and there will be many examples of questionable direction by the Ministry out in Alberta.
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.
We can also be reached at www.hrsgroup.com.
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Canada, “All accidents are Preventable”
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
CEO and Training Director
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