The investigation found the firm’s written lockout procedure for the machine was inadequate
Resolute FP Canada Inc., a producer of wood, pulp, tissue, and paper products, was fined for the fatal injury a worker sustained while conducting maintenance on a debarking machine.
The court ruled that Resolute FP failed to ensure that the machine’s control switches, or other control mechanisms were locked out which was required by section 76(a) of Ontario Regulation 851 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and was contrary to section 25(1)(c).
The offence occurred on March 28, 2022, when an industrial electrician attempted to repair a photo-eye on a debarking machine. Following the firm’s written lockout procedure, the electrician worked with a maintenance team to lock out the machine. They also tried to verify the success of isolating and de-energizing the machine through the procedure.
However, as the electrician dealt proceeded with the maintenance and believed that the machine was properly locked out, its infeed roller unexpectedly moved which trapped and fatally injured the worker.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found that the Resolute FP’s written lockout procedure lacked in being able to protect the worker from the hazard brought by the infeed rollers and driver gears that moved as they worked on repairing the machine.
It was also found that not all the machine’s sources of energy were identified and controlled, adding to the fact that the company’s verification procedure did not test for all sources of hazardous energy.
Justice of the Peace Daphne Armstrong fined the firm with $500,000 alongside a 25% victim fine surcharge which was required by the Provincial Offences Act and will be credited to a special provincial government fund that assisted victims of crime.
The company was convicted on November 28, 2023, by Armstrong with Daniel Kleiman serving as crown counsel.
