Don’t blame the MOL inspectors, they can save lives, reader replies

Not everyone thinks Ministry of Labour inspectors are the bad guys. When it comes to Alec Caldwell’s photos of “Russian Roulette scaffolding,” Matt D. backs Alec, and wrote this in reply to Chris Langman, who said the MOL is just there to “make a profit.”

“Actually Chris, it is my understanding that the proceeds from fines issued by the Ministry of Labour go to the municipality in which they were issued, not to the ministry nor the province. I agree we should all be responsible for our actions and the legislation is also geared towards that, but it is also geared towards those in authority, i.e., supervisors and employers, who should know better, to ensure compliance.

I was once a young ignorant worker (not much has changed but I did age a bit) just working hard trying to make a living. One day, I met a MoL inspector, who had discovered that my employer had not been following regulations and – unbeknownst to me and my colleagues – we ended up with over 1,300 hrs exposure to type 3 asbestos. We blindly did what our employer told us to do, assuming that what we were doing was right.

These two gentleman in the photo may or may not know what they are doing is unsafe. They might think it is but if they are told to do it and have hungry kids at home, does their ignorance and need to make an income mean they deserve the possibility of getting seriously hurt or dying?”