Worker injured while fitting two parts of a heavy steel automotive tool together
Ontario employer Aarkel Tool and Die Inc. has been fined $75,000 after one of its workers sustained critical injuries in the workplace.
Following a guilty plea in the Provincial Offences Court in Chatham, the employer was also ordered to pay a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
The incident occurred on Nov. 20, 2022, when a worker was using an overhead crane to fit two parts of a heavy steel automotive tool together—a shot block and a carrier assembly.
After the shot block was lowered onto the carrier assembly, the worker used jackscrews beneath the assembly in an attempt to secure the object and prevent it from tipping.
However, the jackscrews were not bolted, secured, or otherwise attached to the work surface or the assembly.
While the shot block was positioned on the carrier assembly, the worker pulled on it and felt it move.
The lower carrier assembly then tipped and fell off the work surface, critically injuring the worker.
“Aarkel Tool and Die Inc. failed to provide adequate instruction and supervision regarding the selection and placement of appropriate materials to ensure the safety of the worker, contrary to section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA),” said the Ontario government.
Section 25(2)(a) of the OHSA states that an employer shall ensure that the equipment, materials, and protective devices as prescribed are provided.
