A construction company based in Inuvik has pleaded guilty to one of nine charges filed against it over the accidental death of an Australian employee.
David Vinnicombe, 19, died while on a construction site at the Inuvik satellite station facility near the town in June 2016. At the time of the accident, Inuvik officials said a piece of heavy machinery rolled over and crushed Vinnicombe, who was the only occupant.
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Both Allen Services & Contracting and a supervisor, Brian McCarthy, were charged under the Safety Act following the incident.
The charge the construction company pleaded guilty to was “failing to ensure that all workers are sufficiently and competently supervised.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s one charge or 100, it’s not going to bring David back, it’s never going to change,” Jacqui Vinnicombe, David’s aunt, told CBC.
“From Australia we’re very worried, wondering why and how this could be, why only one of the nine charges was heard in the court of law,” she explained. “This is a worker’s life lost on a worksite, and government safety legislation, you can’t get any more serious than that.”
The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission filed the nine charges against the construction company and the supervisor in May 2017.
While the remaining charges have not been withdrawn yet, the prosecutor told the court the government will likely withdraw them once a conviction has been entered into the record.
The case has been scheduled for a facts and sentencing hearing in Inuvik for December 05.
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