Charges Laid with Workplace Fatality

Occupational Health and Safety officers have charged a Halifax company, today, Feb. 18, in connection with the workplace death of a 21-year-old man.

On Nov. 7, 2013, Alan Fraser was cleaning up on the sixth floor of a Clayton Park building under construction and fell from the edge. The Department of Labour and Advanced Education immediately stopped work at the site and launched an investigation.

Parkland Construction has been charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act with:

• lack of fall protection when working at an elevation of three metres or greater
• lack of a safe work plan
• lack of fall protection training
• failure to ensure a chute or other safe method is used to lower rubbish or debris

A supervisor with the company has also been charged with:

• lack of fall protection when working at an elevation of three metres or greater
• failure to take every precaution to protect an employee's health

"This has been a difficult time for the family," said Minister of Labour and Advanced Education Kelly Regan. "I want to thank them for their patience and understanding while our officers took the time to find out exactly what happened."

These charges will be prosecuted by the Public Prosecution Service's special prosecution section. An arraignment date has been set for March 25.

Penalties for a workplace fatality include fines and in some cases jail.