According to a March 5 government news release, the jury issued its recommendations following a probe into a workplace accident on Dec. 6, 2021 involving Preston Allen.
At least one local news report stated that Allen, a 34-year-old married father of a young son, fell almost 10 metres from scaffolding while working on a home in Fredericton.
According to his obituary, Allen studied carpentry at New Brunswick Community College before starting work with a construction company in Fredericton.
Looking to “broaden his horizons,” he moved on to a job with New View Design in the spring of 2021.
According to WorkSafe NB, a Crown corporation charged with overseeing the implementation of workplace safety laws, New View Design by Laurie Cole Inc. was fined a total of $30,000 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in relation to Allen’s fall.
Prior to this, the company pleaded guilty to “failing to provide instruction necessary to ensure an employee’s health and safety.”
A brief description of the accident states that the construction team had been erecting scaffolding while installing siding on the back wall of a home.
“There was a mix of snow, ice pellets and rain falling that day, creating slippery conditions on the scaffolding planks,” it states.
A subsequent inspection found “several deficiencies” with the scaffolding, including an absence of both the “top frame” and 2x4 “guards.”
The inquest into Allen’s death took place over two days and heard testimony from six witnesses. The jury made the following recommendations to WorkSafe NB:
- Proactively educate new and existing companies and employers “by offering resources and consulting services before accidents occur.”
- Establish a partnership “with provincial and/or regional construction safety associations to provide online education to employers and employees on the basics of erecting and using scaffolding.
- Ensure an adequate number of inspectors dedicated to the construction sector.
- Gain access to available building permit data “or its equivalent.
- Use building permit data “to identify appropriate work sites for inspection.
- Carry out a minimum number of “random or unannounced” worksite inspections each month.
“The chief coroner will forward these recommendations to the appropriate agencies for consideration and response. The response will be included in the chief coroner’s annual report for 2025,” states the news release.
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