A coroner’s inquest into a workplace fatality has made 10 recommendations to prevent similar deaths.

Jamie Harris died at the site of a water main break in the City of Dieppe on Aug. 21, 2023.

A two-day inquest held at the Moncton courthouse this week ruled his death was accidental.

The five-member jury heard from nine witnesses and made several recommendations.

For the employer, Perfection Contracting, the jury recommended:

• Implementing a two-person checklist, where both people sign off at the beginning and end of the day.
• Site workers should have risk awareness and safety awareness training provided by the New Brunswick Construction Safety Association.
• Enhanced communications (sensors, headsets or a radio-enabled earbud), especially near heavy equipment.
• Making immediate repairs to excavator mirrors or implementing protection cages similar to those used in forestry operations.
• A spotter, if required, should remain in place while the machine is in operation.

The jury made the following recommendations to WorkSafeNB:

• Advocating for the implementation of a two-person checklist for all construction companies; in addition to the pre-shift inspection, one should be conducted at the end of each shift.
• Implementing mandatory certification and recertification for heavy equipment operators in New Brunswick.
• Implementing a policy to ensure adequate rest to prevent impairment due to fatigue. As in the trucking industry, such a policy would consider maximum hours worked and factor in hours worked the previous week.
• Implementing harsher, tiered penalties for violations.
• Having unannounced drop-in sessions.

The chief coroner will forward these recommendations to the appropriate agencies for consideration and response.