Charges laid in Teeple Terrace collapse, industry rethinks safety practices
The London and District Construction Association (LDCA) says it’s not surprised by the charges laid in last year’s deadly building collapse on Teeple Terrace in London, and says it supports the Ministry of Labour for its professionalism in the investigation.
Eight charges were laid in connection with the incident on Dec. 11, 2020 when part of a four-storey condo building under construction collapsed with about 40 workers on site.
Two concrete workers died, 21-year-old John Martens and 26-year-old Henry Harder. Five more workers were injured.
LDCA Executive Director Mike Carter said it was a day that changed everything in the industry throughout the province.
“Teeple Terrace caused all of them to rethink, review, ensure that the practices they engaged in were at the highest standards of the industry.”
Two companies and one individual face charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The charges are as follows:
Against East Elgin Concrete Forming
- Count 1: provide information, instruction, and supervision to a worker to protect the health and safety of a worker, at a workplace located in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 25(2)(a) of the Act.
Against iSpan Systems LP
- Count 2: ensure that a building, structure or any part thereof, or any other part of a workplace, whether temporary or permanent, is capable of supporting any loads that may be applied to it in accordance with good engineering practice, at a workplace located in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 25(1)(e)(iii) of the Act.
- Count 3: ensure that the provisions of s. 87(1)(a) of Ontario Regulation 213/91 were complied with at a workplace located in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 25(1)(c) of the Act.
- Count 4: to ensure that the provisions of s. 87(3)(b) of Ontario Regulation 213/91 were complied with at a workplace located in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 25(1)(c) of the Act.
- Count 5: ensure that the provisions of s. 89(2) of Ontario Regulation 213/91 were complied with at a workplace located at in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 25(1)(c) of the Act.
- Count 6: ensure that the provisions of s. 134(1)(a) of Ontario Regulation 213/91 were complied with at a workplace located in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 25(1)(c) of the Act.
- Count 7: ensure that the provisions of s. 134(1)(b) of Ontario Regulation 213/91 were complied with at a workplace located in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 25(1)(c) of the Act.
Against an unnamed individual
- Count 8: providing advice negligently or incompetently that did endanger a worker at a workplace located in London, Ontario, contrary to s. 31(2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act R.S.O. 1990, c.O.1, as amended.
Carter said many positive changes have come out of the incident, including a re-evaluation of safety standards across the board.
Mike Carter of the London and District Construction Association speaks to CTV News outside LDCA headquarters on Aberdeen Drive in London, Ont. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. (Bryan Bicknell / CTV News)
“The engineering needs to be evaluated again so that the designs of buildings have to be inherently safe through construction and use. We have to look at the practices of the work that was done. There may be other items that have to be looked at, more safety training that has to occur, but in due course of time improvements will be made throughout the system.”
CTV News London reached out to the companies charged in connection with the incident and received an email response from iSpan Systems Vice President and General Manager Dwayne Van Harberden.
"This was a tragic accident that claimed two young lives and it was important that we fully cooperate with the Ministry in their investigation. We are aware of the charges."
Labour ministry statement
In a release Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton provided the following statement regarding the charges:
“The Ministry has been working tirelessly to determine the cause of this tragedy and has now concluded its investigation.
"Any company in Ontario that thinks worker safety is just the cost of doing business should think twice because they will quickly feel the full force of the law.
"We owe it to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims to ensure something like this never happens again.”
The first court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2022.
A number of other lawsuits have also been filed in connection with the collapse.
Meanwhile London police say their investigation is ongoing, but will be informed by the ministry's findings.
- With files from CTV News London's Justin Zadorsky
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.