CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that 35 inspectors carried out 22 inspections last year in Nova Scotia. The story has been updated to reflect that the correct number is 2,200.
HALIFAX – Last week, 21-year-old Alan David Fraser became the province’s latest workplace fatality after he fell from a condo under construction on Greenpark Close in Clayton Park.
Now, his death is prompting the industry to call for more safety enforcement.
“What we saw with this particular case was a company that had three other violations, particularly for falls, and until this most recent tragedy, they didn’t take steps to change anything,” said Kyle Buott of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour.
Paul Pettipas of the Nova Scotia Home Builders Association said the government has to show leadership in driving change.
“This young man shouldn’t have died. There’s no question in my mind this could have been averted,” he said.
“What we’re looking for is offenders, people who have no concern for human life. They should be the ones that inspectors look for, they should be fined and if they do not understand safety then the job should be shut down.”
Thirty-five inspectors carried out 2,200 inspections last year in Nova Scotia. Most of the inspections are complaint-driven, so if no one notices the problem, chances are the site won’t receive an inspection.
The Clayton Park area where Fraser died doesn’t have a full-time inspector assigned to it. The Department of Labour is looking to fill that vacancy.
The housing and condo market in the Halifax area is booming right now, partially because of the 30-year Irving shipbuilding deal awarded in 2011, leaving many to question if the boom means safety is being compromised.
“That’s not an excuse. It’s never an excuse for someone to die. It’s never an excuse for someone to be hurt. If it takes a little longer to do it correctly then so be it,” said Pettipas.
“But no one should ever use the excuse that we’re busy so we didn’t have time for safety. That’s unconscionable and those are the people we should be going after.”
Buott says changes need to be made now.
“The politicians need to get off their asses and start enforcing the law and making better laws. Until they send one of those employers to jail, until someone gets locked up for the carnage that they are causing in families’ lives, this is going to continue.”
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