The news that Temporary Placement Services Ltd. is facing seven serious charges following the tragic death of Luka Serbu last summer has sent ripples through Calgary’s construction industry. As I walked past the Rockford construction site in northwest Calgary yesterday, it was hard not to reflect on how workplace safety becomes painfully relevant only after someone doesn’t make it home.
Occupational Health and Safety has laid these charges after their investigation into the July 2023 incident where Serbu, just 19 years old, fell approximately 10 meters to his death. According to provincial records, the temporary staffing agency now faces allegations of failing to ensure proper fall protection systems, inadequate safety training, and insufficient supervision.
“Every workplace fatality represents a family forever changed,” said Dr. Kimberly Nickerson, workplace safety advocate and professor at Mount Royal University. “What makes this case particularly troubling is how preventable falls from height typically are when proper protocols are followed.”
The construction site at 5025 Bowness Road NW remains active today, though under different conditions than when the incident occurred last summer. Sources familiar with the investigation told me the charges specifically address fall protection training gaps that may have contributed to the teenager’s death.
Calgary’s construction sector employs over 118,000 people according to the latest Statistics Canada labour report, with temporary workers making up approximately 14% of that workforce. These temporary employees, often younger and less experienced, frequently find themselves in uniquely vulnerable positions.
“The responsibility gap between staffing agencies and worksite operators has been a persistent concern,” explained Jordan Howell, safety coordinator with the Alberta Construction Safety Association. “When a worker is technically employed by one entity but physically supervised by another, critical safety protocols can fall through the cracks.”
Provincial data shows fall protection violations consistently rank among Alberta’s top five most frequently cited workplace infractions, with 243 stop work orders issued for these violations in 2022 alone. The province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act clearly mandates fall protection for any work occurring more than three meters above ground level.
During my conversation with a journeyman carpenter at a downtown residential development yesterday, he shared his perspective on the industry’s safety culture. “Things have improved dramatically over the twenty years I’ve been in construction, but there’s still this tension between productivity and safety. Young guys especially feel pressure to keep up, sometimes at the expense of following every procedure.”
The maximum penalties facing Temporary Placement Services Ltd. are substantial – up to $500,000 per charge and additional fines for continuing offenses. For context, the largest workplace safety fine ever imposed in Alberta was $1.5 million in 2017 against an oil sands operator following a tank collapse that killed two workers.
What makes Serbu’s story particularly heartbreaking is learning he had only been on the job for three weeks when the incident occurred. Former colleagues described him as enthusiastic and eager to learn the trade.
“The first few months on any construction site are statistically the most dangerous,” noted Nickerson. “New workers may not yet have the confidence to speak up about unsafe conditions or may not even recognize when something isn’t right.”
Calgary’s construction boom, with over $4.8 billion in building permits issued last year according to city data, creates immense pressure throughout the industry. This pressure often trickles down to staffing agencies tasked with rapidly filling positions, sometimes with inadequate preparation.
The case against Temporary Placement Services Ltd. is scheduled for its first court appearance next month. While the legal process unfolds, Serbu’s family continues to advocate for stronger protections for young workers. They’ve launched a foundation in his name focused on safety education for those entering the trades.
For Calgary’s construction community, this case represents more than just another regulatory proceeding. It stands as a sobering reminder that behind every safety regulation is a story like Luka’s – potential unrealized and a family left wondering what could have been done differently.
The question now facing our city’s construction industry isn’t just whether this particular company will be held accountable, but whether this tragedy will catalyze meaningful changes in how temporary workers are trained, supervised and protected on Calgary job sites.
