Metal beam falls off a forklift, striking the worker
Ontario employer Performance Finishing & Fabrication Inc. has been fined $110,000 after a worker suffered a fatal injury in the line of work.
Following a guilty plea in provincial offences court in Ottawa, the employer was also tasked to pay a 25 per cent 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 June 1, 2022, when a worker and the president of the comany were working together to place a metal beam (33'7" x 10" x 2.5") beside another metal beam, to manufacture a steel trailer frame for a mobile home.
The company president was transporting a metal beam on a forklift. Meanwhile, the worker was on the ground to steady the beam being lifted.
However, the metal beam was not secured to the forklift. During the process, the unsecured metal beam went over the head of the worker before falling off the forklift to the ground. The metal beam struck the worker, causing fatal injuries.
“Performance Finishing & Fabrication Inc. failed to ensure that a metal beam was secured and would not fall while being transported on a forklift, as required by 45(b)(i) of Regulation 851, a violation of section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act,” noted the Ontario government.
Before using forklifts, users must receive comprehensive safety training on forklift operations, according to the US Cargo Control.
“Safety training protects the operator, as well as the business, from liabilities such as OSHA non-compliance fines, increased insurance premiums, loss of resources, property or product damage, and injury or death.
“The best forklift safety training includes understanding controls, weight limits, and maneuvering techniques, as well as safety protocols like proper load handling, awareness of surroundings, and emergency procedures.”
