A Mississauga construction company has been fined $50,000 after a worker sustained critical injuries in a fall from the second floor of a home under construction in Cambridge.
Cachet Homes Corp. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a wooden guardrail system was securely fastened, contrary to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Justice of the Peace Michael Cuthbertson imposed the penalty at Provincial Offences Court in Kitchener on May 30.
The incident occurred March 3, 2023, at a construction site on Steadman Street in Cambridge, where Cachet Homes was building a 205-unit subdivision of detached and freehold townhomes.
Worker fell nearly 10 feet
A subcontractor’s employee was installing insulation in a wood-framed home when he began setting up a temporary platform to reach above the foyer. The worker leaned on a wooden guardrail system that had been installed earlier, possibly by another subcontractor.
The guardrail gave way and the worker fell nearly 10 feet to the floor below, suffering critical injuries.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found the wooden guardrail system was not securely fastened to the posts during the home’s framing stage.
Company failed safety requirements
The ministry determined Cachet Homes failed to ensure safety systems such as guardrails were properly installed, inspected and maintained as required by Ontario Regulation 213/91.
The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge goes to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Crown Counsel Katie Krafchick prosecuted the case.
Cachet Homes Corp. operates from 2555 Meadowpine Blvd., Unit 3, in Mississauga and specializes in residential construction.
