The court found safety procedures were violated in moving equipment
The Ontario Court of Justice fined Brampton-based construction company Sin Structures Inc $100,000 after the latter pleaded guilty on failing to follow some of the safety procedures outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, resulting in a worker being critically injured. The court also imposed a 25% victim fine surcharge required by the Provincial Offences Act, and the fine is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
In March 2022, the quality control inspection supervisor was critically injured during the construction of a bridge in St Catharines on Smith Street. The supervisor, accompanied by the lead hand/welder fitter, was doing a final inspection of the girder/truss for a bridge that was being assembled in an industrial building.
All other production workers, including the crane operator, were on a scheduled break during the inspection. The C3 and C4 overhead cranes were not locked and secured, according to a news release. The pendant remotes were left out and accessible.
The lead hand/welder fitter operated the overhead crane to move the bridge girder/truss the quarter inch needed as the operators and material handlers were on break. They did this by jogging the remote for the overhead crane. This resulted in the bridge assembly to move uncontrollably, causing the diagonal cord (cross member) of the bridge girder/truss to move across the steel jig to where the supervisor was seated.
According to the news release, this created a pinch point, and the supervisor was critically injured.
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