A worker named Christopher “Adam” Carleton, 33 years old dead from a head injury suffered from a fatal fall. He is an insulator for Grandview Insulation Contractor Inc.
Deadly fall from a height
That day, Carleton was insulating a heating pipe on the fourth floor of the new Irving Oil headquarters. According to a witness, Wayne Steeves, he said that around 1 pm in the afternoon he heard a sound like a ladder falling to the ground. He looked down and saw Carleton lying on the floor from a distance. Steeves taught he might have broken his arm or wrist. Then I saw Carleton started to convulse and roll over on his stomach. Some workers of the building immediately provided initial first aid to Carleton, they tried to stabilize the body and some called emergency numbers. Brian Lent, a foreman who gave a work to Carleton that day, took his sweater off and placed it under the head of Carleton were pool of blood is already forming. According to Lent, he tried to help him, but there was nobody helping him. Paramedics arrived and immediate provided CPR and first aid and taken to St. John Regional Hospital for further treatment. The following day Carleton died in the hospital.
Gregory Forestell, the New Brunswick Chief Coroner presided over the investigation of the incident. Witnesses were called. During the investigation, Forestell heard that safety procedures at the Irving site on King’s Square states that in the event of an accident among workers, some workers are required to help the victim by bringing them to the First aid station and sound three blast on air horn to call the in-house first aid team.
According to a witness Steeves, also a worker in the building, said that procedure did not happen. He just freaked out and everything went out of his mind. Some workers took care of Carleton, provided initial first aid as he lay on the ground. I tried to stabilize his body and others called emergency numbers.
After the death of Carleton, the foreman of the building made some improvements by ordering eight scissors lifts or elevating platforms that can be used by insulators instead of a ladder. While scissor lift is expensive, these can be used in all work situations and they are more stable. Lent does not want anymore accident that will happen in the building such as falling or getting hurt.
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