Injury investigation leads to fine, equipment overhaul at Barrie company
Wolf Steel Ltd. has been fined $50,000 after a worker was critically injured at its Barrie facility, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development announced on Friday.
The incident occurred on October 24, 2022, at the company’s workplace on Napoleon Road. According to the ministry, a worker was moving pieces of wood using a four-wheeled wooden cart when the cart and its contents toppled, resulting in critical injuries.
A subsequent investigation by the ministry found that Wolf Steel Ltd. had failed to take necessary precautions to ensure that moving materials did not endanger workers. Specifically, the cart provided was deemed unsafe, violating section 45(a) of Ontario Regulation 851/90 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
“Wolf Steel Ltd. failed to ensure that the measures and procedures as prescribed by section 45(a) of Ontario Regulation 851/90 were carried out at the workplace,” the ministry said in a release, citing contraventions of sections 25(1)(c) and 66(1) of the Act.
The cart involved in the incident had been in use for more than 15 years. It was manufactured by the company itself, which specializes in fireplaces, grills, and gas furnaces.
Wolf Steel Ltd. pleaded guilty in the Provincial Offences Court in Barrie. Justice of the Peace Catherine M. Shoniker imposed the $50,000 fine, and Crown counsel Alicia Gordon-Fagan represented the prosecution.
In addition to the fine, the court ordered a 25% victim fine surcharge, as mandated by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is directed to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Following the incident, Wolf Steel Ltd. replaced all wooden carts in the facility with manufactured carts featuring identified specifications and load capacities, the ministry stated.
Further information on material handling and workplace safety regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act is available on the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development website.
