Death of hotel worker in 2016 elevator accident leads to $200K in fines

Three years after a hotel worker was killed by blunt force impact when an elevator door fell onto him, an event company and a condo company were asked to pay $100,000 for their roles in the accident.

The Ministry of Labour found that the owner of One King West Hotel and Residences and the company that runs events at the hotel had both violated different sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

An investigation by the ministry found that the worker, who was helping to set up holiday decorations, died because a cord holding open the door of a freight elevator snapped, causing it to fall on him.

Investigators discovered that the cord being used to keep the door open was not the original strap, but a black stage cord.

The original strap had been broken for two and a half weeks by the time of the Nov. 15 accident, something the maintenance manager of the event company was aware of.

Events at One King West. Ltd., the event company, was found to have failed to ensure the elevator was maintained in good condition.  Building owner Toronto Standards Condominium Corporation 1703 was found to have let the elevator continue to be used without ensuring necessary repairs were made.

Both companies pleaded guilty.

In addition to the $100,000 fines, a “25-per-cent fine surcharge” was imposed, with money going to a provincial fund to assist the victims of crime.