R. v. Kazenelson: The Project Manager Sentenced to 3.5 Years
Presentation Overview:
On January 11, 2016, Vadim Kazenelson, a project manager with Metron Construction Incorporation ("Metron"), was sentenced to 3 1/2 years imprisonment for his role in a tragic construction incident in which five workers fell more than 100 feet to the ground when the swing stage they were working on suddenly collapsed. None of the workers were attached to a lifeline as required by both the law and industry practice. In fact, only two lifelines were even available - a dangerous situation that Kazenelson was entirely aware of, yet failed to rectify.
The sentence is one of (if not the) harshest ever given for a breach of the duty imposed in s. 217.1 of the Criminal Code, and a stark reminder of the very serious obligation that persons in authority have to ensure that those who arrive for work in the morning will return home safely at the end of the day. Kazenelson chose to act in breach of that duty when faced with an important decision; a decision that project managers find themselves making each and every day.
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