Guelph, Ont. – Linamar Holdings Inc., operating as Roctel Manufacturing, a maker of car parts, was fined $100,000 on March 22 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.

On August 29, 2008, a worker at the company’s plant in Guelph started up an assembly line containing a robot cell. A robot cell is a guarded area that contains a robot to do specific work such as packaging or product testing. A conveyor belt inside the robot cell malfunctioned, stopping the entire line. The worker went into the robot cell to clear the fault in the conveyor. When the problem was fixed, the robot cell automatically resumed operation and struck the worker in the arm, breaking it.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the worker was required to put the robot cell in manual mode before entering it. The master key, to put the robot cell in manual mode, could be removed from the key switch in both manual and automatic modes. This allowed the worker to remove the key and walk into the robot cell while it was still in automatic mode.

Linamar Holdings Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring that the robot cell controller key could not be removed from the switch when the robot cell was in automatic mode.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Robert Gay. In addition to the fine, the court imposed 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.

Owen Sound, Ont. – Clarksburg-based Golden Town Apple Products was fined $75,000 on March 12 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured.

On May 9, 2008, a worker at the company’s plant was flushing a production line with a sodium hydroxide solution. The worker carried a pail of the solution toward a tank to be cleaned. While lifting the pail to dump the solution into the tank, the worker’s hand slipped, the pail swung forward and the solution splashed into the worker’s eyes, causing permanent eye damage.

Golden Town Apple Products pleaded guilty under the OHSA of failing, as an employer, to ensure that the pail of sodium hydroxide solution was lifted, carried or moved in a way and with safeguards to protect the worker’s safety.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Robert Gay. In addition to the fine, the court imposed 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.

Toronto, Ont. – Earthfresh Foods Corp. was fined $65,000 yesterday for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured at its plant in Etobicoke.

On September 10, 2008, an Earthfresh worker was sorting potatoes on a conveyor belt. The worker’s thumb became caught in a pinch point between the belt and the metal frame of the machine. The worker’s thumb was then pulled towards, and made contact with, a rotating shaft, causing a serious hand injury.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that neither the pinch point nor the rotating shaft on the machine were guarded.

Earthfresh Foods Corp. pled guilty under the OHSA of failing, as an employer, to ensure that all pinch points on the machine were guarded.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Alice Napier. In addition to the fine, the court imposed 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.

Brockville, Ont. – HFI Pyrotechnics Inc., of Prescott, was fined $50,000 today for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused worker injuries.

On October 18, 2008, workers were burning waste associated with the manufacturing of pyrotechnics. The waste had accumulated over the summer months but had not yet been burnt. Workers took large bags of explosive waste from a pickup truck, repackaged the waste into smaller bags, and placed those bags on a burn pit. One of the bags on the truck ignited and the fire spread to the rest of the truck. Two workers suffered burn injuries as a result.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the company had a written procedure for burning waste, but it did not give specific instructions for waste management, waste accumulation and personal protective equipment. The policy also did not describe procedures for waste collection and storage.

HFI Pyrotechnics Inc. pleaded guilty to failing take the reasonable precaution of establishing a written procedure that incorporated policies for the timely disposal and destruction of pyrotechnic waste.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace William Stewart. In addition to the fine, the court imposed 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.

Barrie, Ont. – The Corporation of the City of Barrie was fined $50,000 yesterday for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) that caused an injury to a worker.

On October 22, 2008, the city was repairing a sewer line on Clute Cres. A subcontractor dug a trench and workers from the city used a vacuum truck to suck dirt up and away from the sewer line. They were having trouble exposing the pipe, so a worker descended into the trench. One of the walls of the trench collapsed onto the worker. The worker suffered spinal injuries.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the trench was not sloped and its walls were not supported.

The Corporation of the City of Barrie pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the walls of the trench were held up by a support system that complied with the requirements of the OHSA.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Ann Forfar. In addition to the fine, the court imposed 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.

Brampton, Ont. – Pintar Manufacturing Corp., a maker of paintbrushes, rollers and paint applicators, was fined $50,000 on February 25 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured at its plant in Mississauga, Ontario.

On May 14, 2008, a Pintar worker tried to adjust air diverters by placing a hand inside an unguarded pinch point of an operating winding machine that makes paint rollers. The worker’s fingers were caught either by a belt or by fabric that was being wound into a paint roller. The worker sustained hand injuries.

Pintar Manufacturing Corp. pled guilty to the offence of failing, as an employer, to ensure that all pinch points on the winder machine were guarded.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Karen Jensen. In addition to the fine, the court imposed 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.