Excerpt from the government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’
An elevator company pleaded guilty and was fined $80,000 after a worker suffered injuries and was airlifted to hospital for treatment. The incident took place at United Hoist Equipment Ltd.’s office and storage facility located at 106 Commercial Road in Bolton. The company is in the business of providing personal and material elevators for the construction industry.
On May 21, 2015, two workers were unloading tower sections from a flat-bed truck and placing them in piles to be stored. Tower sections are the structural steel frames used to build the elevators. Each tower section was 20 feet long and approximately 29 inches high by 29 inches wide and weighed approximately 1,760 pounds.
A boom truck with a nylon sling attachment was used to lift the tower sections off the flatbed truck and stack them on their sides, one on top of the other. After four tower sections had been stacked in this manner, one of the workers walked across the top of the top tower section and untied the nylon sling. Before the worker had the chance to get off the tower section the boom truck operator began lifting the boom and the hook on the boom got caught on the tower section. This caused the tower section that the worker was standing on to shake. The rocking motion caused the worker to slip and fall approximately 10 feet to the ground; the tower section then rolled over and landed on top of the worker.
The sentences were imposed by Justice of the Peace Michael Barnes in Caledon provincial court on November 16, 2016.
In addition to the fines to, 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.
My Opinion
The law(s) in contravention,
United Hoist Equipment Ltd. was found guilty of a contravention of the Ontario ‘Industrial Establishments 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.”
United Hoist Equipment Ltd. was also found guilty of a contravention of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, (OHSA) section 25, subsection 1(c) which states,
“An employer shall ensure that,
(c) the measures and procedures prescribed are carried out in the workplace.”
The company should have had a training course in “Rigging and Slinging” and HRS Group Inc. stands ready to train any and all companies needing the safety knowledge necessary to do any operation. We can create programs for your company and tailored to your needs.
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’, ‘Construction Lifting and Rigging’ 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.