Inquest called into worker’s 2015 death
A provincial inquest has been called into the death of a Drain Bros. construction worker who died in 2015 from injuries while working at the Peterborough City-County Landfill on Bensfort Rd.
Jerry Chard, 59, of Havelock, was working for Drain Bros. and was building a new trash pit at the landfill site when he was killed on Nov. 10, 2015.
Mr. Chard, a father of three sons, was working to help build a large hole in the ground for garbage dumping at the municipally owned landfill, located south of the city in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township.
As a loader, he was moving a length of long PVC pipe for the bottom of the pit when the pipe somehow struck him and killed him, Peterborough County OPP determined at the time.
The Ministry of Labour investigated and then issued orders to Drain Bros. to ensure that material and equipment was stored and moved in ways that would not endanger workers on the project.
The inquest, which is mandatory under the Coroners Act, was announced Monday by Dr. Paul Dungey, regional supervising coroner for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services’ East Region office in Kingston.
The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. Chard’s death, according to a media release from the ministry.
The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths of workers.
The inquest is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 5 in the Rogers Room at the Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn, 84 Lansdowne St. E., Peterborough.
The inquest is expected to last for three days and hear from about 10 witnesses, the release states.
Dr. Mary E. Bourne will preside as inquest coroner. Frank Schwalm will be counsel to the coroner.