Restoration construction firm fined for boom tipping incident that left worker dead

TORONTO—An Ontario company has been fined $125,000 for a Toronto worksite incident in which a worker was thrown from a Genie Boom and killed.

Universal Structural Restoration Ltd., which specializes in major building restorations such as structural repairs, balcony reconstruction and garage slab rehabilitations, pleaded guilty to violating the province’s health and safety act in a Toronto courtroom July 23.

The incident occurred in August 2016 at a jobsite in midtown Toronto.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the worker was elevating a Genie Boom to between 50 and 60 feet in order to access the side of a building when the piece of equipment tipped over. The worker was thrown from the platform at the top of the boom and landed on a concrete driveway, resulting fatal injuries.

A subsequent investigation determined the boom was situated on sheets of plywood placed over grass. The area was slightly sloped, which contributed to the incident, as the manufacturer stipulates that neither of the boom’s two arms be moved if the equipment is not on level ground.

Investigators also found that two switches designed to limit and stabilize the boom’s motion were disabled, a violation of Ontario safety regulations. The province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act bans equipment alternations that result in reduced vehicle safety.