A 27-year-old construction worker was killed at this construction site near the corner of Weston Road and Sheppard Avenue West on Monday. A 27-year-old construction worker was killed at this construction site near the corner of Weston Road and Sheppard Avenue West on Monday. (CBC)

Investigators are examining whether high winds may have played a role in the death of a construction worker in northwest Toronto on Monday afternoon.

The worker, a 27-year-old man, died as he stood on a ladder while installing a steel beam over the door of a double garage. The accident happened at the site of a new housing development being built near the corner of Weston Road and Sheppard Avenue West.

Provincial investigators were on the scene Tuesday, trying to piece together what happened. At the time of the accident, just after 1 p.m. ET, the wind was blowing nearly 60 kilometres an hour with gusts of up to 78 km/h.

Investigators told CBC News the man may have grabbed the steel beam to steady himself and it fell on top of him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Death spurs workplace safety debate

The man's death has re-ignited discussion about workplace safety. Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the province has been too slow in implementing last year's recommendations of an expert panel that called for major changes to workplace safety in Ontario.

"Here we have a young worker again, went to work in the morning, thinking he was going to come home at the end of the day, as usual," said Horwath. "And instead, he lost his life. It's not acceptable."

The workplace safety panel called for mandatory training for all construction workers and stiffer fines for companies that break safety rules.

corner of weston road and sheppard avenue toronto on

"Let's get those recommendations implemented," said Howarth. "And let's get them implemented right away so that workers no longer have to be worried about whether they're going to come home alive after work."

The push to improve workplace safety in Ontario followed the death of four workers on Dec. 24, 2009, when a swing stage they were working on collapsed. All four men fell 14 storeys to their deaths.

It was Toronto's deadliest workplace accident in 50 years.

The Labour Ministry said it will take some time to find out exactly how the worker died in Monday's accident and it could be months before it's known whether any charges will be laid.