Jury has recommendations for WorkSafeNB at inquest into death of Fredericton carpenter
CBC
The inquest into the death of a Red Seal carpenter at a Fredericton building site wrapped up on Tuesday with a number of recommendations, all aimed at more oversight from WorkSafeNB.
Preston Allen, 34, fell 8.5 metres from scaffolding on Dec. 6, 2021, while working on new house construction on Brighton Court in the city's Skyline Acres neighbourhood.
Allen was a married father of a young son, Benson, who was five years old at the time of his father's death.
According to his obituary, Allen graduated with distinction from the carpentry program at NBCC and was hired by the Colpitts company, where he later received his Red Seal status.
After six years, "with a desire to broaden his horizons, in the spring of 2021 Preston relocated to New View Designs, construction unit," the obituary said.
Laurie Cole, owner of New View Design, testified on the second day of the inquest.
Back in July, her company was fined $25,000 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act on charges stemming from Allen's fall.
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.
On Tuesday, Cole testified that in October 2021, two months before the accident, her project manager left and she was trying to find a replacement.
"There is a lot of turnover and it's very challenging," Cole said.
Allen had previously worked for a large company as a site supervisor, she said, and she brought him on board in April 2021, saying she was "very impressed with him."
She appointed him the lead carpenter for the house under construction at 19 Brighton Court.
"He was a shining star, had a great way about him, very respectful, enthusiastic, had a lot of great skills — he was a leader."
Cole said the company would typically use a lift to put up siding on a new house under construction but because of the steepness of the lot, they couldn't, "so this was really the first time [Allen] had to use staging."
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