Inadequate hazard management to blame for fatal fall of worker in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest: CNESST
Posted October 26, 2026 12:21 pm.
A construction worker died after falling through an unmarked opening in a snow-covered roof with no guardrails, the CNESST says.
In a report on the Nov. 13 death in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) identified several shortcomings in hazard management.
There were no guardrails around the roof, no personal fall protection system was being used, and two openings in the roof were unsecured and hidden beneath the snow.
At the time of the accident, the victim, who worked for Installation MB, was moving a sheet of plywood across the roof of a boiler room with another worker.
As he stepped backward, he stepped onto one of the openings, measuring 48 centimetres by 48 centimetres, which was covered only by a rigid polyurethane insulation panel. The opening was hidden by snow, and the panel gave way, causing the worker to fall 8.7 metres onto the concrete floor inside the boiler room.
Inspectors noted that architectural and engineering plans prepared by professionals hired by the project owner did not indicate an opening at the location where the accident occurred.
The openings had originally been covered with pieces of wood topped with a waterproofing system. The month before the accident, workers from another company removed the waterproofing system and the wooden covers, leaving the rigid insulation exposed.
Two weeks before the accident, another Installation MB crew had noticed the two raised areas on the roof.
“Workers assumed they were remnants of previous roof repairs. To check their stability, they struck the insulation panel with a stick and applied pressure with a foot to detect any movement or visible signs of weakness,” inspectors wrote.
“Although they found the setup unusual, the workers took no further steps to determine what it was. Following their checks, they concluded the raised areas did not pose a danger,” the report said.
Inspectors said project manager Pomerleau Inc. and subcontractors failed to establish the necessary verification procedures to ensure the worksite was safe and remained so throughout construction.
“An inspection of the workplace, particularly from inside the building, would have revealed two square shapes in the slab with different characteristics and allowed workers to determine their nature before work began. This would have established that they were openings,” inspectors said.
“Taken together, these elements demonstrate shortcomings in identifying and communicating hazards at the worksite, as well as in supervision,” the report concluded.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
