An Ontario company and a former foreman were arraigned in Dartmouth provincial court Wednesday on safety charges stemming from a fatal accident at a construction site almost two years ago.

Brandon Alcorn, 22, of Porters Lake died from a head injury after he fell from the roof of the Kent Building Supplies store in Dartmouth Crossing on March 13, 2018.

Earlier this month, the provincial Labour Department filed Occupational Health and Safety Act charges against Alcorn’s employer, Insulated Panel Structures Inc. of Waterdown, Ont., and supervisor Jeff Scott Gooch.

The department alleges the company failed to ensure Alcorn had valid fall-protection training, failed to establish a written fall-protection plan, and failed to ensure fall-protection gear was used on the day of the fatality and three earlier dates.

Gooch, 38, of Halifax, is charged with four counts of failing to make sure an employee under his direction wore fall-protection gear while working at heights. He’s also accused of failing to ensure Alcorn had up-to-date training in fall protection and of giving false information to a labour investigator two days after the mishap.

Lawyers Brad Proctor and Stan MacDonald appeared in court Wednesday on behalf of the company and Gooch, respectively. They asked that the case be adjourned until early March to allow them to review the evidence provided by the Crown.

Crown attorney Alex Keaveny went along with the request and advised the court that all evidence has been disclosed to the defendants.

Gooch also faces a charge of criminal negligence causing death. That charge was announced by Halifax Regional Police last month and is set for arraignment Feb. 25.

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