Full investigation to follow after scaffolding deaths

The Ontario Ministry of Labour, police and coroner will likely be handling the next steps of the investigation into the recent deaths of two construction workers in a Toronto scaffolding accident, critical injury lawyer Patrick Brown tells Global News.

The ministry, explains Brown, partner with McLeish Orlando LLP, will be doing a full investigation, “interviewing witnesses, occupational health and safety inspectors, will be collecting evidence at the scene, there likely will be extensive forensic testing of the equipment, and really, they’re trying to get down to the bottom of what caused this accident.

Look at training practices

“They’ll look at the training practices on site, the equipment used, and conduct that investigation. Depending on what they find, they may or may not lay charges under the act,” he tells Global News.

“In these investigations too, the police are involved and they will be conducting an investigation. There have been instances where there has been criminal negligence charges against companies where the evidence shows that the act or what happened here had some form of criminal negligence. So, the police would also be conducting an investigation in these instances.

“You’re going to have the coroner likely involved and the coroner eventually will also be conducting an investigation, likely dependent on the information they receive from the Ministry of Labour and the police.”