Industrial Safety Trainers Inc.
Mississauga, Ont - August 8, 2012--On July 24, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Services Canada Inc. was convicted in court of violating The Electrical Act by hiring an unlicensed individual to do electrical work. The individual suffered very serious arc flast injuries while attempting to remove conductors from an electrical panel. A fine of $70,000 was imposed which included $50,000 provided by ThyssenKrupp to The Electrical Safety Authority to be used for education about electrical safety.
In addition, ThyssenKrupp and a supervisor were charged by the Ministry of Labour for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The Ministry of Labour investigation found that the electrical panel was not disconnected from the power source, not locked out or tagged before the work started. The company and supervisor were convicted and an additional $171,000 in fines was levied.
"Companies and supervisors have a direct responsibility for those they hire to do electrical work and how the work is done," said Doug Crawford, Chief Public Safety Officer, The Electrical Safety Authority. "In this case an unlicensed individual was hired and unsafe work procedures were used causing the individual to work live on an electrical system and suffer devastating injuries. Sadly, this case is typical of occupational electrical injuries in Ontario. They tend to occur during repair or maintenance work and involve unsafe procedures--often working live on a panel. Decisions like these can have deadly consequences."
An arc flash occurs when electrical current moves through the air creating a fiery explosion. A worker will be engulfed in a ball of flame in a split second and is also typically struck by molten metal shrapnel from exploding electrical equipment. For more information and to see video of an arc flash, click here.
Ottawa, Ont. - Torus Construction Limited, an Ottawa paving company, was fined $110,000 on January 22, 2010, for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was killed.
On June 17, 2008, at the intersection of Britannia and Howe Streets in Ottawa, a Torus labourer was cleaning the concrete chute of a machine that pours and moulds street curbs. Another worker climbed into the machine, started it, beeped the horn twice and then moved it in reverse. The machine caught and fatally crushed the labourer.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found that while driving the machine, the worker's view of the intended path of travel was obstructed, endangering the labourer.
Brampton, Ont. - Maple Leaf Consumer Foods Inc., of Kitchener, was fined $100,000 after a worker was injured.
On November 13, 2008, a worker was preparing equipment that puts sauce on meat products. As the worker was attaching a return hose to a pump, the worker's finger was caught in the pump and its tip was severed. The pump had been running while the worker was doing this preparation work.
Maple Leaf Consumer Foods Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the worker adjusted the equipment only when motion that could endanger a worker was stopped.
Newmarket, Ont. - Mattamy 2000 Inc. was fined $55,000 after a worker was injured. Foremont Drywall Inc., of Brampton, was fined $45,000 in relation to the same incident.
On July 8, 2008, Mattamy 2000 Inc. was constructing new houses on Ford Wilson Dr. in Newmarket. Foremont Drywall Inc. was subcontracted to install drywall and stucco in the houses. Two workers subcontracted by Foremont Drywall Inc. were applying stucco to the second-floor ceiling of one of the houses. One worker was standing on a second-floor balcony that overlooked the front entrance hall. There were no railings in place on the balcony. The worker stepped backwards and fell over three metres to the first floor below. The worker suffered broken and fractured bones and a concussion.
Mattamy 2000 Inc. and Foremont Drywall Inc. both pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the worker was protected by a guardrail system.
On September 27, 2008, a worker was using a forklift outside the store at 35 Mapleview Drive in Barrie, to place skids of bottled water in the main entrance. The forklift struck a customer, causing injuries to the customer's feet.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the worker did not have full view of the forklift path of travel and its load.
On January 19, 2009, a worker employed by Wal-Mart at 102 Primeway Drive in Welland climbed a ladder to get approximately five boxes of toys from a shelf. The worker then began to climb back down with the boxes held in one arm. The worker missed a step at the bottom of the ladder and fell, suffering arm injuries.
In January 2009, a worker driving a lift truck carrying an unsecured pallet was killed at Ford's Bramalea, ON parts distribution centre. The worker was crushed between the pallet and the vehicle. A Ministry of Labour investigation found that Ford's material movement policies and procedures were inadequate.
In January 2008, a worker was fatally injured at Ford's Oakville, ON assembly plant after being crushed between two forklifts. The worker was standing beside a forklift when a co-worker reversed another forklift into the worker. A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the forklift operator had not maintained a clear view of the vehicle's path of travel while reversing.
The grocery store operator Metro Ontario Inc. was fined $100,000 on July 9, 2010, for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.
On January 18, 2009, a worker at the company's location in North Bay was using a band saw to cut beef in the meat department. The worker's hand slipped towards the moving blade, and the blade partially amputated some of the worker's fingers.
An MOL investigation found that the machine's blade was improperly guarded.
Newmarket, Ont. - Welded Tube of Canada, a Concord-based company, was fined $140,000 on July 16, 2010, for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.
On July 31, 2008, a worker employed by Welded Tube at 50 Bowes Road in Concord prepared a bundle of steel tubes weighing approximately 2½ tons and sent them down a conveyor to be processed for shipping. The worker and a co-worker then began to make a mechanical adjustment in the path of the conveyor. The bundle of tubes needed to be rearranged and was sent back on the same conveyor, where it struck the worker and caused leg injuries.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the conveyor was not protected by a guard to prevent access to the path of travel while it was in motion.
Windsor, Ont. - Bravo Cement Contracting (Windsor) Inc., a Windsor-based cement pouring and installation company, was fined $90,000 on July 21, 2010, for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was killed.
On January 21, 2009, a worker was painting a steel storage rack at one of the company's sites. The rack - which weighed about 635 kilograms - tipped over and fell, trapping and killing the worker. The incident occurred at a company site on 2875 Kew Dr. in Windsor.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the rack was not secured to prevent it from tipping or falling. Bravo Cement pleaded guilty to failing to secure an industrial storage rack so that it would not tip or fall.
Toronto, Ont. - Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd., which operates a manufacturing facility in Scarborough, was fined $62,000 on January 25, 2010, for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured.
On August 16, 2008, at the Scarborough facility, a temporary worker was manually adding lids to containers filled with product by a machine on a production line. The worker noticed that one of the filling nozzles did not have a container under it and tried to stop the product from coming out. The nozzle moved down and punctured the worker's hand.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found there was no guard protecting the worker from the filler nozzles on the machine.
Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd. pleaded guilty under the OHSA of failing as an employer to ensure a machine that has an exposed moving part that may endanger the safety of a worker is equipped with a guard or other device that prevents access to the moving part.
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