Hearing would dive into the death of worker whose leg was cut by a saw
A lawyer for American Iron and Metal (AIM) appeared in court on Monday and asked to reschedule the pre-trial relating to the death of a worker who leg was cut by a saw in the workplace.
Lawyer Sydney Logan made the request as AIM is facing four Occupational Health and Safety Act charges related to the death of 60-year-old subcontractor Darell Richards.
On July 1, 2022, Richards died after he suffered injuries at the company's west-side scrapyard in Saint John, N.B.
The pre-trial conference was rescheduled for Feb. 2, according to a Saltwire report.
On the day of the incident, Richards was using a saw to cut a calender roll – a large steel cylinder used to press paper and plastic. It decompressed as Richards was cutting into it, and the saw cut his leg, causing extensive bleeding, his daughter-in-law previously said.
Following an investigation, WorkSafeNB found enough evidence to recommend four charges against AIM under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, according to a CBC News report. The Crown accepted those charges and is prosecuting AIM for allegedly failing to properly protect, train, and inform Richards, and failing to make sure work is overseen by trained supervisors.
The charges allege the company didn’t take every reasonable precaution to ensure health and safety and failed to provide information on the hazards of handling and disposing of a calender roll. AIM is also accused of failing to ensure the work is competently supervised and that supervisors have sufficient knowledge.
AIM is also facing separate charges for an incident in Maces Bay dating to Dec. 3, 2021, according to Saltwire. On that day, the boom of a truck picking up material at the Point Lepreau nuclear plant came into contact with a power line. No injuries were reported.
The trial was scheduled for November, but was rescheduled to March 6.
That coincides with the trial relating to the 2022 fatality, as the cases should be handled at the same time in case the charges are resolved, Crown prosecutor Wes McIntosh previously said.
On Sept. 14, a massive scrap metal fire took place at AIM’s west-side scrapyard, which led to the province revoking the facility's licence on Dec. 29. The company can choose to appeal the revoking of license within 90 days.
Operations at the scrapyard have been suspended since.
AIM was previously fined $65,000 after a worker sustained injuries while unloading a dump trailer.
The incident took place on Dec. 1, 2021, at the company's scrap metal yard in Hamilton, Ontario. A driver employed by the company was unloading a 40-foot dump trailer from behind. As the driver opened one of the rear doors, they proceeded to open the other door partially before moving inside to open it fully. Unfortunately, part of the load began to fall from the trailer while the driver was inside, resulting in an injury.
On Nov. 24, 2021, another AIM worker died after being crushed by scrap metal.
