More charges laid in construction worker's fatal fall in Dartmouth

Theforeman and employer of a 22-year-old man who died after falling from a Dartmouth construction site are facing chargesunder Nova Scotia's Occupational Health and Safety Act.

They are accused of failing to ensure fall protection gear was used properly.

Brandon Alcorn, who grew up in Porters Lake,N.S.,died onMarch 13, 2018after suffering head injuries sustained in a fall from the roof of a Kent Building Supplies store that was under construction.

Alcorn had been working as a labourerfor Insulated Panel Structures, Inc., a Waterdown, Ont., company atthe Cutler Drive site.

Foreman Jeff Scott Gooch, 37, was arrested Nov. 30, 2019 and charged withcriminal negligence causing death.

Now Gooch is also accused of knowingly giving an Occupational Health and Safety officer false information two days after Alcorn's death, as well as failingto ensure he had up-to-date fall protection training andfailing to ensure he wore fall-protection gear while working at a height.

The OHS charges state fall-protection gear was required on four different days, including the day Alcorn died, and Gooch "failed to take every reasonable precaution to protect the health and safety" of someone in the workplace.

Insulated Panel Structureswas also charged Jan. 8with:

• failing to ensure an employee had valid fall protection training.
• failing to have a written fall-protection safe-work procedure.
• failing to ensure fall-protection gear was used Feb. 6,March 9, March 12 and March 13, 2018.

Gooch and Insulated Panel Structures are due in Dartmouth provincial court on the OHS charges Jan. 28.

Gooch is scheduled to appear in court on the criminal charge on Feb. 25.

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