An Uxbridge, Ont. construction company supervisor has been fined $30,000 for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was killed.
MILTON, ONT.
An Uxbridge, Ont. construction company supervisor has been fined $30,000 for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was killed.
On Dec. 15, 2009, bridge construction was underway on the Queen Elizabeth Way over Bronte Creek in Oakville, Ont. The construction company 474294 Ontario Limited, carrying on business as Northern Machinery Services, was removing the concrete deck of the existing bridge. Company president Barry Wood was supervising. While workers were removing concrete panels from the bridge a section of the deck began to collapse. A worker fell and a collapsing concrete panel fell on top of the worker. The worker was killed.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour (MOL) found the Wood had been provided with a copy of an engineered procedure for safely cutting and removing concrete from the bridge deck in order to maintain its structural integrity and prevent collapse. However, this procedure had been violated, says the MOL. It was also determined that the workers exposed to a fall hazard while dismantling the bridge had not been wearing fall protection equipment.
Wood pleaded guilty to failing, as a supervisor, to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring that workers engaged in the cutting and removal of the bridge deck followed the engineered procedure for that task. He was fined $20,000 for this violation.
Wood also pleaded guilty to failing, as a supervisor, to ensure that workers exposed to a fall hazard were wearing fall protection equipment. He was fined $10,000 for this violation.
In addition to the fines, the court imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.
DCN NEWS SERVICES
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