Inquest hears about slippery conditions when carpenter fell 8½ metres to ground

A coroner's inquest is underway to determine the facts surrounding the death of Preston Allen, a carpenter who died from a fall at a residential construction site in Fredericton on Dec. 6, 2021. 

Allen yelled out before falling 8½ metres from scaffolding while installing siding on a house under construction at 19 Brighton Court in Fredericton, chief coroner Heather Brander and a five jurors heard Monday.

Allen's co-worker Patrick McMahon said at the inquest the conditions that day were messy, with a mix of snow, rain and ice pellets. He and the other employees of New View Design by Laurie Cole Inc. chose to work inside, passing materials to Allen on the scaffolding. 

When he turned to walk downstairs, he said he heard the shout and he ran to the opening to see Allen on the ground. McMahon said he then sprinted outside.

He said Allen was struggling for air when he reached him and he turned him over onto his back and "held him [and] was with him," while coworkers called 911. 

Paramedics arrived and took Allen to the hospital where he died from his injuries.

 "No one should have been on those planks," Michel Cyr, manager of investigations at WorkSafe New Brunswick, said.

Cyr said every 10 minutes, employees swept the planks and added salt but even the pipes would have been impossible to hang on to in those conditions.

The scaffolding itself revealed several deficiencies, he said. It wasn't properly attached to the house and the two-by-fours erected were "more of a tripping hazard than a guard rail."

Cyr said there was no competent supervisor at the site. People considered Allen the project lead but he was not given employee orientation or safety training. 

On July 17, 2024, New View Design by Laurie Cole Inc. was fined $25,000 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act on charges stemming from the incident, according to WorkSafeNB.

The company pleaded guilty to failing to provide instruction necessary to ensure an employee's health and safety.

The judge also ordered a $5,000 victim surcharge.

The inquest is expected to last two days.