BELLEVILLE, ONT. — A Belleville, Ont. roofing contractor has been sentenced to jail for his latest offence in a string of infractions of fall-prevention regulations.
Steven Bell, sole proprietor of a roofing company, has been found to be overseeing roofing projects without proper protection by the Ministry of Labour (MOL) twice in 2013, in 2015 and in 2017.
The latest incident on July 22, 2017 occurred on a roofing project at a residence in Belleville. A ministry inspector observed that a roofer employed by Bell was working on the roof at a height more than three metres from the ground. The worker was not wearing any means of fall protection. There were no injuries.
Section 26.1(2) of Ontario’s Regulation 213/91 (the Construction Projects Regulation) states that a worker working at a height of more than three metres must wear an approved method of fall protection.
Section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) states that an employer must ensure that regulations are followed on a project.
Following a guilty plea in Belleville court May 7, a justice of the peace sentenced Bell to seven days in jail for the 2017 offence.
The sentences have been stiffer for each subsequent offence.
On March 11, 2013, an MOL inspector observed three roofers in Belleville, employed by Bell, working at heights of more than three metres without being protected by fall protection. There were no injuries. The $2,000 fine in that conviction has not been paid.
On Nov. 16, 2013, an inspector observed four roofers in Belleville, employed by Bell, working at a height of about 18 feet without fall protection. There were no injuries. A $4,500 fine was levied, of which $900 remains unpaid.
On October 7, 2015, an MOL inspector observed a roofer in the City of Quinte West employed by Bell working at a height of about 26 feet without fall protection. There were no injuries. For that offence, Bell was sentenced to one day of imprisonment and a fine of $10,000, which has not been paid.
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