Plumbing contractor gets jail time for assaulting safety inspector

Shouted and swore at inspector before pushing him inside office trailer of construction site

A Kitchener plumbing contractor is going to jail for a physical altercation with a health and safety inspector.

Ion Cenuser’s plumbing contracting business was working on a construction site in Scarborough, Ont., on Jan. 24, 2006. The inspector from the ministry of labour arrived to follow up on health and safety orders that were issued for the site earlier. He asked two workers why they weren’t wearing head protection and Cenuser walked over. The inspector noticed Cenuser wasn’t wearing protective footwear and mentioned it to him. Cenuser began swearing at the inspector, who walked away in search of the site manager. However, Cenuser followed him, continuing to shout and swear.

Inside, things escalated and Cenuser grabbed the inspector and pushed him across the trailer. He was charged with hindering, obstructing, molesting or interfering with an inspector performing a duty under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The court convicted Cenuser of the charges and sentenced him to seven days in jail and fined him $3,000.

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