The man who died after falling into a concrete truck in east Ottawa Monday afternoon was trying to dislodge some concrete from the end of the machine, according to the province's Ministry of Labour. Emergency crews were called to the Lafarge complex on Bearbrook Rd. at 3:45 pm. on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Labour said the man was trying to dislodge some caked-on concrete from the discharge end of a ready-mix truck when he was drawn into the unit. Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene. His age and identity have not been released. On Tuesday the flags at the Lafarge site were at half-mast. Christian Bruneau, the father of a man who died in March when a chunk of ice fell on him, is calling for harsher penalties to workplace injury or death. "If the penalty was 2.5 million instead, what would be the reaction of the manager of the large corporation? I think it would be point number one on their agenda," said Bruneau. The ministry spokeswoman said the man was working for Prestige Design and Construction, a subcontractor to Lafarge Canada. In a statement a spokesperson for Lafarge Canada Inc. wrote, "we are cooperating with the Ontario Ministry of Labour in their investigation. It would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time." - Karine Cousineau, Senior Manager of Communications. The president of the Ottawa & District Labour Council, Sean McKenny, is calling for a criminal investigation into the death. "The hope is with that, when those kinds of penalties are imposed on employers they will realize they have responsibilities to protect those working on the worksite," McKenny said. The ministry's investigation continues.
