Toronto company faced years of safety complaints before swing stage collapse – Toronto Sun

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The Toronto window cleaning company behind a swing stage that recently collapsed from a midtown office tower leaving at least one worker dangling some 25 storeys above had multiple complaints about the safety of its fall protection system since 2016.

Toronto Police say the call came in around 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 about two men who were finishing their window washing duties of 2180 Yonge St., near Eglinton Ave., when their swing station came loose and fell to the ground.

Luckily, there were no injuries reported.

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According to data from the Ministry of Labour, obtained by the Toronto Sun, there were three complaints, three years in a row, issued against Scarborough-based Solar Window Cleaning for concerns about safety regarding the fall protection system.

The first was on Nov. 29, 2016, at 438 Bay St., where the MOL issued two orders for the company to develop a plan for the safety of workers and a stop work order until that was completed.

The ministry said the work plan was completed and as a result, the stop work order was withdrawn.

The second complaint took place on July 25, 2017, at 375 University Ave., according to MOL documents, where there were concerns workers were on the roof of the property without fall protection.

In that case, no orders were issued by the ministry.

On Jan. 11, 2018, workers at a job site at 2 Queen St. E. also complained of feeling unsafe due to not being protected by a method of fall protection. The ministry did not issue any requirements in that case.

According to the ministry, Solar Window Cleaning was convicted on Feb. 7 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to ensure a piece of equipment wasnt within three metres from an energized outdoor overhead electrical conductor in the range of 750 to 150,000 volts at a Vaughan workplace.

The company had to pay a $45,000 fine plus a victim fine surcharge.

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Toronto company faced years of safety complaints before swing stage collapse - Toronto Sun