A Chatham-based construction company has been fined $85,000 after a worker was fatally injured while cutting down a tree on a job site in Dawn-Euphemia.
John Harris Concrete Ltd., a small company specializing in concrete foundations, pleaded guilty in Sarnia Provincial Offences Court to failing to provide proper training under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The incident occurred on Oct. 26, 2022, at a construction site near 354 Gould Road in the Township of Dawn-Euphemia. The worker, one of five employed by the company, had been clearing brush and felling trees around a drainage ditch when they were struck and fatally injured by a tree.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development determined that while the worker had been trained to operate a chainsaw, they had not received training specific to tree felling.
Justice of the Peace Susan E. Whelan imposed the fine on Jan. 13, 2024. The case was prosecuted by Crown counsel Neil Gobardhan.
Under section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are required to provide information, instruction and supervision to protect the health and safety of workers, officials with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development stated.
