Three companies must pay a total of $166,000 for violations
Three employers were mandated to pay substantial amounts for workplace injuries just before the close of the year 2023.
One Saskatchewan-based employer, Agrow Canada Ltd., faced a fine of $46,000 following a serious workplace injury. Agrow, specializing in the sale or rental of pre-owned equipment, received a fine of $32,857.14, accompanied by a $13,142.86 surcharge.
The employer pleaded guilty to a violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 on Dec. 18, as reported by CTV News. The incident occurred near Waldron on Sept. 30, 2021, when a worker suffered a serious injury by stepping onto an energized auger.
“Agrow was fined for contravening subsection 10-4 (2) of the regulations (being an employer, failing to ensure that a safeguard required by section 10-4 (1) remains in place at all times, resulting in a serious injury to a worker,” said the Saskatchewan government.
Meanwhile, Bert’s Truck and Trailer Repair Inc., an Ontario-based employer, faced a $50,000 fine after a worker was seriously injured while repairing the brakes on a motor home. The incident took place on Dec. 15, 2021, when a worker was tasked with repairing the brakes on a 60-70 feet long motor home.
The motor home, parked on a concrete pad sloping slightly downwards, had rubber chocks in front of the front wheels to prevent forward movement, but no measures were taken to prevent it from moving backward. While attempting to grease the underside of the vehicle, using an oxygen/acetylene torch on the brake system, the worker accidentally released the brakes, causing the motor home to roll backward, uphill, over wooden blocks, resulting in serious injuries to the worker.
“Section 74 of the Regulation for Industrial Establishments requires that machinery, equipment, or material that is temporarily elevated under which a worker may pass, or work, must be securely and solidly blocked to prevent it from falling,” said the Ontario government. “By failing to take these safety measures, Bert’s Truck and Trailer Repair Inc. violated section 66(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.”
In another incident, Geerlinks Building Centre and Furniture Limited, operating as Geerlinks Home Hardware Building Centre in Ontario, was fined $70,000 after a worker suffered critical injuries when struck by a forklift operated by another worker in the workplace.
The incident occurred on Oct. 1, 2022, when two workers were instructed by their supervisor to transport returned lumber to the Geerlinks Home Hardware Building Centre lumber yard. The forklift operator, not certified to operate the forklift and lacking Lift Truck Pedestrian Safety training, attempted to place boards into a pile, striking the other worker who sustained critical injuries.
“At the time of the incident, the worker operating the forklift was not certified to operate the forklift, nor did they have Lift Truck Pedestrian Safety training. The other worker did not have Forklift Operator training or Lift Truck Pedestrian Safety training,” explained the Ontario government. “Geerlinks Building Centre and Furniture Limited failed, as an employer, to ensure that the workers were provided information, instruction, and supervision regarding the operation of forklifts at a workplace, contrary to section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.”
Both Bert’s Truck and Trailer Repair Inc. and Geerlinks Building Centre and Furniture Limited were also directed to pay 25-percent surcharges as mandated by the Provincial Offences Act, with the surcharge credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
