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NORTH YORK, ONT. – Trenchless technology company Fer-Pal Construction Ltd. of North York, Ont. and Antonio Visconti, a supervisor, are both facing fines after a worker was seriously injured at a Cambridge construction project in 2023.

According to an Ontario court bulletin, on July 11, 2023, Fer-Pal Construction Ltd. was contracted by the City of Cambridge to rehabilitate a section of watermain at the workplace location. The crew consisted of site supervisor Visconti and five workers.

The work involved lining approximately 100 metres of a 16-inch watermain. To complete the job, the liner resin needed to be cured by introducing hot water into the watermain, the release reads. Water was heated in a boiler truck to approximately 65-70°C and then circulated in the watermain for several hours.

During the final stages of the relining process, a worker was asked by their foreman to remove a hose from a connection located in the access pit. The worker climbed into the excavation using wooden shoring and began to remove the hose. During this process, the worker was exposed to hot water and suffered serious injuries.

The worker also attempted to exit the pit once, but fell back in. However, the worker managed to climb out of the pit after a second attempt.

A Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development investigation determined a ladder had been supplied at the edge of the excavation at grade but was not installed in the excavation at the time of the incident. This resulted in delayed egress from the excavation when the incident occurred, the release reads.

Fer-Pal Construction Ltd. failed, as an employer, to ensure adequate means of egress was provided to permit the evacuation of workers during an emergency, contrary to section  of Ontario Regulation 213/91 and section  of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Additionally, Visconti failed as a supervisor to ensure egress from a work area located below ground level in the form of stairs, a runway, ramp or ladder and failed to provide adequate means of egress from the work area to permit the evacuation of workers during an emergency, contrary to section  of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Following guilty pleas in the Kitchener Provincial Offences Court, Fer-Pal Construction Ltd. was fined $140,000 and Visconti was fined $7,000 by Justice of the Peace Michael Cuthbertson on Oct. 3, 2025.