MISSISSAUGA — A Mississauga business owner has been convicted of hiring an unlicensed contractor to perform electrical work in an incident that resulted in the death of the contractor.
Jamal Shihadeh was convicted in Ontario court on May 25 and fined $18,750.
According to a media release from the Ontario Electrical Authority (ESA), in 2013, Shihadeh hired Elias Mikhail to do some electrical work at a career college facility in Mississauga.
It was a cash transaction with no receipt or record of work and no electrical permits secured.
Mikhail was electrocuted and died on the job on Oct. 13 of that year while working alone. He was found the next day by Shihadeh.
An ESA investigation determined that Mikhail received a fatal shock while working on wiring carrying 347 volts of electricity; the wiring had not been disconnected from power.
"This is a tragedy for all concerned. Two people have paid the price — one with his life and the other with this conviction and the knowledge of this incident for the rest of his life," says Scott Saint, chief public safety officer for the ESA.
"This is an important reminder that business owners and operators must understand legal requirements when hiring people to do electrical work. It’s the law in Ontario that only licensed electrical contractors can be hired to do so."
In Ontario, any business that offers or performs electrical work in Ontario must be licensed by the ESA.
The licensed electrical contractor must abide by the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Workplace Safety and Insurance Act and other applicable laws.
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