Manufacturer pleads guilty to OHS violation
A construction equipment manufacturer in Hawksville has been fined $65,000 after a young worker was seriously injured while using a magnetic lifting device at its facility.
AMI Attachments Inc. pleaded guilty in Provincial Offences Court in Kitchener on Jan. 24, 2025, following an incident that occurred nearly a year earlier. The court found the company failed to ensure the worker operating the lifting device was either competent or supervised by a competent person, as required by Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The injury took place on Feb. 15, 2024, when the worker was assigned to move steel components from a receiving area to nearby storage blocks. Workers at the site typically used an overhead bridge crane equipped with chains, straps or magnetic lifters, depending on their own judgment and experience.
To complete the task, the worker used a magnetic lifting device suspended from the crane by a chain to lift a steel tube measuring half an inch thick and weighing approximately 682 lbs. While the worker stood in the aisle between two steel storage racks, the steel tube became detached from the magnet and dropped roughly two feet to the floor, causing serious injury.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development determined the worker had not received sufficient training on the equipment and had not been supervised or accompanied by someone qualified to oversee the operation.
The ministry concluded that AMI Attachments Inc. had not met its legal obligation to ensure safety procedures were followed, in violation of section 51(2) of Ontario Regulation 851/90. The offence was contrary to sections 25(1)(c) and 66(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Justice of the Peace Michael Cuthbertson imposed the $65,000 fine, and the court also applied a 25% victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge contributes to a special provincial fund that supports victims of crime.
Crown counsel Judy L. Chan represented the prosecution.
