A three-day coroner’s inquest into the workplace death of Christopher Adam Carleton began Monday.
Carleton, an insulator with Grandview Insulation, fell from a 10-foot ladder onto his head on Feb. 5, while insulating pipes at the Irving Oil headquarters project in Saint John.
Carleton died in hospital from his injuries the next day.
READ MORE: Coroner’s inquest to be held into death at Saint John construction site
The five-member jury, consisting of three women and two men, will hear from 13 witnesses over the next few days before making recommendations of how similar workplace deaths can be prevented.
On Monday morning, Carl Seeley, the safety coordinator for the worksite at the time of the accident, was questioned by Christopher Titus, the legal assistant to the coroner for the inquiry.
Seeley faced a number of questions about safety protocols on the site.
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According to testimony, Carleton had completed all necessary courses to be on the worksite, including fall-arrest training. He had completed his daily field level hazard assessment on the morning of the incident.
Wayne Steeves, who was installing a sprinkler system, was working next to Carleton when the incident happened.
Steeves said he heard the ladder crash but didn’t see Carleton fall because of a beam that obstructed his vision.
The jury also heard from Paula Walker, the owner of Grandview Insulation, as well as Nick Melvin who was working on the fourth floor with Carleton at the time of the accident.
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Melvin said 99 per cent of the work they do is on ladders, and that from what he saw just after the fall, it didn’t look like Carleton was leaning from the ladder.
Melvin said that just before the incident, Carleton had said he was feeling shaky and held out his hands to demonstrate.
The inquest resumes Tuesday at the Saint John Law courts.
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