Canadian plumbing company faces 11 charges over fatal 2023 trench collapse
According to CBC News, Mr. Mike’s Plumbing is facing 11 charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act following a June 2023 trench collapse that killed one employee.
Liam Johnston, a 27-year-old apprentice plumber employed by the Calgary-based company, was killed while doing sewer repairs near a home in the Charleswood area.
The charges against Mr. Mike’s Plumbing include failing to ensure worker safety, failing to stabilize an excavation site by shoring and failing to ensure a worker is protected from cave-ins at an excavation site, CBC News reported.
Johston’s family expressed relief at finally seeing legal consequences nearly two years after the fatal accident.
One charge alleges that the company identified a hazard the day before the trench collapse, but did nothing to fix it. This point is especially hard for the victim’s family to come to terms with.
The company is due in court to face the charges on July 22.
Johnston’s family alleges that there was no trench box on site to prevent a collapse, and no engineers present.
Mr. Mike’s Plumbing stated that it had shoring equipment on site, and it was during installation of the safety equipment that the tragic collapse occurred. The company’s statement continued to say it was “deeply saddened” by the employee’s death, and that it would work closely with authorities to prevent any accidents in the future.
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