A Quebec-based construction subcontractor has been fined $65,000 after a worker was critically injured by a swinging load on a high-rise project in Ottawa.
Bellai Alliance Floor Finishing Ltd., previously known as Bellai Bros. Construction, was sentenced in May following a trial in provincial offences court. The conviction stems from a 2022 incident at a construction site at 1707 Carling Ave., where a worker was struck by a swinging peri box that had been hoisted by a tower crane.
According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the company failed to ensure that required safety measures were in place, including the use of a guide rope to prevent the load from moving uncontrollably. That failure breached section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which requires employers to comply with prescribed safety procedures.
The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as mandated by the Provincial Offences Act.
Claridge Homes Inc., the constructor on the project, was separately fined $55,000 in August 2024 after pleading guilty in connection with the same incident.
The ministry said the injury occurred on Oct. 25, 2022, when the worker was helping hoist a peri box filled with formwork components to an upper slab of the building. As the box was lifted, it swung and hit the worker.
An investigation concluded that the company did not use a tag line to control the load’s movement — a step required under Ontario Regulation 213/91 for construction projects.
