Ontario Foundation Contractor Fined $75,000 After Trench Explosion
A foundation contractor has been fined $75,000 after adhesive vapors ignited in an open trench, injuring a worker at an Ottawa home. Daily Commercial News reports that 8169195 Canada Inc., operating as Above Water, pleaded guilty in Provincial Offences Court in Ottawa on July 15, 2026.
Per an Ontario court bulletin cited by DCN, the incident happened Aug. 30, 2023. Above Water had been hired for foundation repair and window well installation. A worker was applying Henry Blueskin Adhesive, a flammable liquid that can produce ignitable vapors, to a rear foundation wall. The worker stood at the bottom of an unshored trench about eight feet deep and three feet wide when an explosion occurred.
A Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development investigation found the adhesive was producing ignitable vapors in the trench with no atmospheric monitoring or ventilation in use. The company was cited for failing to ensure the work area was ventilated to prevent an explosive atmosphere, contrary to section 46(1)(b) of Ontario Regulation 213/91 (Construction Projects) and section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Justice of the Peace Mahamud H. Elmi imposed the fine.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Treat trenches as vapor traps when applying flammable products. Before applying adhesives, membranes or primers below grade, add the product’s flammability to the hazard assessment and decide on ventilation and atmospheric monitoring before anyone enters.
- Document the controls. The charge rested on the absence of monitoring and ventilation. Keep gas-test readings, ventilation setup and product safety data sheets on file for each below-grade task, including small residential jobs.
- Don’t let job size lower the standard. This was a private home foundation repair, yet it fell under Ontario’s Construction Projects regulation. Waterproofing and foundation crews should build the same checks into residential work as commercial work.
