The law rains down on Sunny Roofing

Some people never learn. Dong Mo, owner of Sunny Roofing in Toronto is a great example

You would think a smart business man might learn a lesson or two from a prior conviction wouldn’t you? Nevertheless, Mr. Dong Mo was convicted in a Brampton courtroom last week for repeated safety violations. The final price tag to Mr. Mo: a cool $58,750. Read MOL report

Some of Dong Mo’s violations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), occurred only two days after a previous conviction in court for failing to make sure workers were wearing fall protection, protective headwear and protective footwear. The fine for that previous conviction was $4,000 !

Mo’s company seems to have no web site or listing with HomeStars. However the conviction can be located easily with Goggle search. The conviction even appears on the first search page. To say this kind of advertising looks bad for any business, a red light to people or anyone searching for a reputable roofing company, would be a gross understatement.

Sunny Roofing is not alone. I recently I observed work by another residential roofing company (shown in my photo). Safety equipment was non-existent, even for the two workers perched on roof peaks seen throwing shingles down to co-workers below, who were nailing them down. Hopefully the (Ontario) Ministry of Labour inspectors will also be knocking on their door shortly.

Here’s a question: Can companies using safety equipment compete on price against non-compliant companies who flaunt the regulations? Unfortunately, the short answer is ‘No’. According to a company I spoke with recently, correctly observing safety requirements slows workers down. They told me that not using safety equipment can reduce the cost of a job on an average home by between $1,000 to $1,500!

Yet many roofing companies do follow safety requirements. They care about their workers’ health and wellness, and put them above their bottom line. I located two such companies on my work site travels; Doucette Roofing and Durham Roofing. Their teams of workers were fully complying with safety regulations. I know many more companies out there are just like them; we need to spotlight those companies.