Worker got hurt while operating multi-drill, says government
Ontario blades manufacturer Valley Blades Limited has been fined $65,000 after one of its workers was injured in the workplace.
Following a guilty plea in the Provincial Offences Court in Kitchener, the company 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 Oct. 5, 2023, when a worker was operating a multi-drill.
When swarf (metal shavings) accumulated on the machine table, the worker reached into the machine to remove the swarf without stopping the machine.
The worker was injured when their rubber glove and sleeve got entangled with the swarf and pulled toward the drill.
The blades manufacturer failed, as an employer, to prohibit the worker from wearing loose clothing around a source of entanglement, according to the Ontario government.
“Valley Blades Limited failed, as an employer, to ensure that jewellery, loose or dangling clothing or rings were not worn near any rotating shaft, spindle, gear, belt or other source of entanglement, as required by section 83(2) of Ontario Regulation 851/90, contrary to section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act,” said the provincial government.
Section 83(2) of Ontario Regulation 851/90 states: “Jewellery or clothing that is loose or dangling or rings shall not be worn near any rotating shaft, spindle, gear, belt or other source of entanglement. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 851, s. 83.”
Meanwhile, section 25(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act states:
25 (1) An employer shall ensure that,
(a) the equipment, materials and protective devices as prescribed are provided;
(b) the equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are maintained in good condition;
(b.1) any personal protective clothing and equipment that is provided, worn or used is a proper fit and is appropriate in the circumstances, having regard to all relevant factors, including such factors as may be prescribed;
(c) the measures and procedures prescribed are carried out in the workplace;
(d) the equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are used as prescribed; and
(e) a building, structure, or any part thereof, or any other part of a workplace, whether temporary or permanent, is capable of supporting any loads that may be applied to it,
(i) as determined by the applicable design requirements established under the version of the Building Code that was in force at the time of its construction,
(ii) in accordance with such other requirements as may be prescribed, or
(iii) in accordance with good engineering practice, if subclauses (i) and (ii) do not apply. R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1, s. 25 (1); 2011, c. 11, s. 9; 2024, c. 41, Sched. 3, s. 8.
