Steve Payne
Niagara Falls electrical contractor fined Ontario record $537,500 for heated floor malfunction that killed senior
Canadian ContractorThe ESA reports the contractor did not connect the heat sensor, made a connection to incorrect voltage, and did not get the system inspected.
Pro-Teck Electric, Niagara Falls, ON, has been fined $537,500 for its faulty and illegal installation of a heated bathroom floor system that killed a Niagara-on-the-Lake senior citizen in April 2014. The senior fell on the floor, which was greatly overheated, suffered second- and third-degree burns, and later died in hospital.
(The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has clarified that this firm is unrelated to a similarly-named licensed firm operating in Richmond Hill, ON.)
The fine is the largest one ever levied for a safety violation in Ontario electrical licensing history.
Pro-Teck had already pleaded guilty last year to three charges related to the fatal malfunction of the system. An ESA investigation revealed that the heat sensor in the floor had not been connected, the power supply was erroneously connected to the wrong voltage, and Pro-Teck had not obtained an electrical inspection before allowing the system to be used.
For a more detailed report, please see this article by our Annex Business Media sister publication, Electrical Business.