A self-storage operator in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, was fined $100,000 on Jan. 29 after a person visiting the property fell through an open hole and died as a result of the injuries. Seavale Inc. pleaded guilty in connection with the June 4, 2014, incident. The court also imposed a 25 percent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a government fund that assists victims of crime.
The property at Highway 11 N. was once part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command defense system. Seavale converted the site’s 28 silos, which were originally designed to house Bomarc missiles, to self-storage buildings in 2013.
Building renovations included the installation of wood flooring over the original concrete basement, according to a source. An opening, measuring approximately 4 by 10 feet, was left at the rear of each building. Framed for the later addition of stairs to the basement, the holes weren’t protected by a guardrail or covering.
The visitor who fell was inspecting a pick-up truck stored by the person renting the unit. The truck’s rear end was near the unguarded opening, and the truck bed extended partially over the hole, a source reported. When the victim bent down to examine the truck’s rear wheel, he fell about six feet onto a concrete floor.
Seavale pleaded guilty to “failing as an employer to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstance for the protection of a worker,” according to a source. The Occupational Health and Safety Act also applied because employees were exposed to the same hazard.
