Vollmer Inc. fined by labour ministry after worker’s death
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has fined the company that employed a Windsor electrical worker who fell to his death on a job two years ago. Vollmer Inc., a multi-trade construction contractor based in Windsor, was ordered to pay $150,000 after pleading guilty to a violation under Ontario’s Construction Projects Regulation. The incident happened on Nov. 3, 2016. Vollmer Inc. had been contracted for work on the Ventra Plastics facility at 2800 Kew Dr. in the east end.
The project involved installing new electrical equipment and cable. Among the crew was Rob Morneau, an electrician and a 44-year-old father of two.
On the day of the accident, Morneau was working with others to pull lengths of heavy cable onto the roof of the building. Sometime during a break in the work, Morneau tripped and fell through a glass skylight, landing on the concrete floor below. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to a court bulletin by the Ministry of Labour, the skylights had no guardrails, protective covering or other means to protect workers from falling through them.
The case was heard in the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor. On Oct. 12, Vollmer Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure workers use and be trained in the use of a fall-protection system when working at heights — a contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Along with the $150,000 fine, the court imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.