An Ontario court has handed down near-the-top-of-the-range fines in an industrial accident that resulted in non-fatal injuries. Fines of that magnitude have typically been reserved for fatality cases.
Unitec Inc. and 629728 Ontario Limited were in partnership carrying on business as Entropex Limited, a Sarnia plastics company. They were fined $210,000 and $200,000 respectively under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
A worker was pinned against a forklift after walking in front of a baling machine, which compacted and strapped plastic, as the machine ejected compacted plastic.
According to the Ministry of Labour press release, the court decided that the baler was not properly guarded, had not been maintained in good condition, and that a worker had performed maintenance on it while the baler was in motion. The court also found that Entropex had failed to provide information, instruction, and supervision to protect workers around the baler.
The Ministry of Labour press release may be read here.
