Excerpt from the government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’
A worker, employed by Skyjack, a manufacturer of elevated material handling equipment such as boom trucks and scissor lifts, suffered a critical injury after falling from a boom truck at the company’s workplace is at 201 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, Ontario.
On August 22, 2018, a worker for Skyjack Inc. was removing a flange pin from the boom of a Skyjack boom truck at the company’s Woodlawn Road location. The worker was in a kneeling position on top of the cowling, which is the cover of the body of the truck and about seven feet above ground level. The cowling is made of smooth fiberglass and slopes toward the boom, and is only 21 inches wide.
The worker was using pry bars to release the flange pin when the pin gave way, causing the worker to fall backwards off the cowling. The worker suffered critical injuries.
Skyjack as an employer neither provided a suitable and safe platform upon which the worker could carry out the work nor did it take other measures to protect the worker from the danger of falling.
Following a guilty plea, Skyjack Inc. was fined $45,000 by Justice of the Peace Michael A. Cuthbertson in provincial court in Guelph; Crown Counsel Tom Schneider.
The court also 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.
My opinion
The law(s) in contravention:
Skyjack Inc. was found guilty of a contravention of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), section 25, subsection 2(h) which states,
“An employer shall,
(h) take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.”
Skyjack is a manufacturer of equipment and ‘Working at Heights’ and ‘Fall Protection’ are a perquisite to operate. I wonder if they have learned from this?
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs including ‘Working at Heights’ and ‘Fall Protection’. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259 We can also be reached at
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Ontario, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
VP & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting.
Thanks.
Thanks!
Thank you very much for sharing!