A small Halifax roofing company has been fined $40,000 after pleading guilty to three safety charges laid following an investigation into the 2021 death of a worker.
The province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires serious workplace accidents to be reported to the Labour Department “as soon as possible” or “immediately.”Compounding the situation, workers returned to the jobsite the day after the incident to complete the roofing project and then removed all materials. In the process, they destroyed evidence, including any evidence of fall-protection equipment installed or used by Marucio.
El Nino employees told investigators they were aware that in the past, Marucio had put nails in his vertical lifeline to lessen the slack or shorten the ropes. This practice is forbidden because it damages the integrity of the ropes. The company and Becic were both arraigned in Halifax provincial court in March 2023 on three charges under the OHSA and two charges under the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations.
Keaveny said the fines requested by the Crown were at the lower end of the available penalties, due to the size of the company and the guilty pleas, but were significant and appropriate. He said the penalties sought by the Crown could cripple El Nino, a small business that is relied upon by all members of the Becic family.