Toronto contractor fined $80,000 after worker dies in roof fall (Ontario)

A Toronto-area contractor has been fined $80,000 after a worker was fatally injured in a fall from a roof during a home renovation project.

The incident occurred on October 11, 2023. The worker was on a veranda roof about 3.6 metres above ground and began climbing a ladder toward the home’s main roof to pass a tool to their supervisor. While climbing, the worker fell backward to the ground and died from the injuries.

Regulators cited the contractor for failing to ensure fall protection was being used while the worker was exposed to a fall hazard of more than three metres, contrary to section 26.1(2) of Ontario Regulation 213/91, as required under the employer duty in section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

A provincial investigation found multiple compliance gaps:

• The worker had not completed mandatory Working at Heights (WAH) training, and

• Neither the worker nor the supervisor was wearing fall protection, even though fall protection equipment was available on site (in the company truck).

  
  

Following a guilty plea, the court convicted the company on July 11, 2025 and imposed the $80,000 fine, plus the required 25% victim fine surcharge under Ontario’s Provincial Offences Act.

Training and fall protection must be verified, not assumed

Falls from relatively “routine” tasks—like moving between roof levels or climbing a ladder—can turn fatal when basic controls aren’t actively used. Working at Heights training and fall protection aren’t paperwork or “nice-to-haves.”They’re life-saving requirements that must be confirmed before exposure—every job, every time. Don’t take it for granted: if the crew isn’t trained and tied off, the work should not proceed.