TORONTO — A Guelph, Ont. firm has been fined $70,000 following a 2016 incident in which a worker was critically injured by spilled molten asphalt.
The road maintenance firm, 2228977 Ontario Inc., operating as R&N Maintenance and also Rann Maintenance, pleaded guilty and was fined in a Toronto court March 1 for violating section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, a Ministry of Labour (MOL) statement said.
The injured worker was a member of a crew performing road maintenance at the intersection of Danforth and Logan Avenues in Toronto.
As recounted by the ministry, workers were instructed to ride in the back of a truck to travel a short distance between sites.
The truck also contained a functioning kettle with molten asphalt sealant with a temperature of about 165 degrees Centigrade.
The truck stopped abruptly and the molten material in the kettle spilled onto one worker, causing serious injuries.
The MOL investigation determined the company failed as an employer to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker in violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The justice of the peace determined the company failed to ensure materials were transported with such safeguards that would ensure that the moving of the materials would not endanger the safety of the worker.
Besides the fine, Rann Maintenance is also required to pay a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act.
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