Worker injured at Fredericton job site days after Worksafe NB receives complaint

FREDERICTON – A man is in hospital in Saint John after a fall from a construction site in downtown Fredericton on Wednesday. The man’s condition is unknown.

While the accident is tragic, on Fredericton-based construction worker says it could have been prevented.

John Ball was walking on Queen Street on Monday, December 29, when he spotted workers four stories up at a construction site. Two workers stood on a scaffold, pouring cement into columns. Another worker was at the edge of the building, tying down a tarp. None of the workers had harnesses or ties, so Ball called WorkSafe NB.

“The gentleman that called me back, he said that they were using railings around the top floor, and on every floor to prevent people from falling over the edge. But I told him there were people above the railing that the railing was useless, they needed a harness, to be tied off,” said Ball.

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Ball didn’t hear back from WorkSafe NB after that. But on Wednesday, his fear was confirmed. A man fell 40 feet while working at the same site.

In an email to Global News, WorkSafe NB says they acted on Ball’s call. “WorkSafe NB was notified of a potential hazard at the worksite by a member of the public on the afternoon of December 29. WorkSafe NB issued one stop work order on December 30. There is no indication that the stop work order issued and this incident are related. ”

Ball has over forty years of experience in construction, and has been certified on harness safety. He says not wearing a harness on his job site will get a worker fired – automatically. He says harness can slow you down, but not wearing one just isn’t worth the risk.

“A lot of times I think people do things without planning,” said Ball. “You see it, people take chances, they don’t think. And these are the results.”