Apprentice injured after their hair was pulled into rotating part of a truck
Ontario employer 1958040 Ontario Inc., operating as Oakville Toyota, has been fined $60,000 after a worker suffered injuries at the workplace.
Following a guilty plea, the employer was also tasked 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 happened on Feb.2, 2022, when a Toyota truck was on a lift in the service centre while being assessed for a defective or damaged wheel bearing.
A journeyperson automotive technician was troubleshooting for the truck with the help of two apprentices.
The journeyperson stationed the first apprentice in the cab of the elevated truck to operate it, which was against the lift manufacturer’s operating manual and safety documents from the Automotive Lift Institute, according to the Ontario government.
The second apprentice was beneath the truck, observing the journeyperson.
Both the journeyperson and the second apprentice had long hair tied back in a ponytail. That was allowed by the employer’s safety procedures. Due to their height, they had to bend down to work beneath the elevated vehicle.
To proceed with the diagnostic testing, the first apprentice started the engine, put the vehicle in gear and accelerated to 60 kilometers per hour. This engaged several moving parts of the vehicle.
The second apprentice then bent over under the truck and stepped back to observe the diagnostic process. In doing so, their hair was drawn into the rotating drive shaft, which resulted in them sustaining several injuries.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Training and Skills Development found that the company did not have a safe procedure for diagnosing problems with wheel bearings. A safe procedure would have prohibited workers from working underneath a vehicle while it was being operated, according to the Ontario government.
“As a result, 1958040 Ontario Inc. failed, as an employer, to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect the worker, contrary to section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act,” said the provincial government.
