Excerpt from the government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’
On July 21, 2016, a worker was fatally injured after being crushed by a steel coil that fell off a production line at the Janco Steel Ltd. steel plant in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
Janco Steel Ltd. processes steel products, including slit-to-width large coils. When a coil is cut or slit in accordance with a customer’s specifications, Janco Steel describes the cut pieces as ‘mults.’
Workers were applying strapping to a group of steel coils which had been slit on the slitting line. The coils (mults) were secured on a coil car.
The coil car under the mults had been raised without first lowering the coil car hold-down arm, which is an arm equipped with metal rings that slide into place that prevent the mults from tipping. As a result, the mult that was at the end of the arm was unstable. That mult fell off the machine’s turnstile and crushed a worker, causing fatal injuries.
Following a guilty plea, Janco Steel Ltd. was fined $150,000 by Justice of the Peace Jerry Woloschuk in Hamilton court; Crown Counsel Judy L. Chan.
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:
Janco Steel was found guilty of a contravention of the Ontario ‘Industrial’ Establishment sector regulation 851/90 section 45 (a) which states,
“Material, articles or things,
(a) required to be lifted, carried or moved, shall be lifted, carried or moved in such a way and with such precautions and safeguards, including protective clothing, guards or other precautions as will ensure that the lifting, carrying or moving of the material, articles or things does not endanger the safety of any worker.”
Janco Steel was also found guilty of a contravention of the Ontario Occupational health and Safety Act (OHSA), section 25, subsection 1(c) of the OHSA states,
“An employer shall ensure that,
(c) the measures and procedures prescribed are carried out in the workplace.”
“Occupational Health and Safety” is not just a phrase that should be taken lightly. It is the culture, good or bad, on every worksite anywhere.
Another work phrase is “Production Over Safety”! I bet there are a few smiles right about now. We have all heard it and, years ago, it was the standard by which most companies operated.
Workplace safety does not have to be costly. There are companies, like HRS Group Inc. that can show your organization how safety can affect your bottom line.
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Ontario, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs including ‘Due Diligence’, ‘Material Handling Safety Awareness’ and ‘Standard Operating Procedures’. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
VP & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.
Thank you for your sharing.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.