Blog Post #249 – Pilkington Glass of Canada Ltd. Fined $50,000 after Worker Injured

Excerpt from the Government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’

Pilkington Glass of Canada Ltd., a Toronto windshield manufacturer, was fined $50,000 for a violation the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.

On March 23, 2009, at the company’s manufacturing facility in Collingwood, a worker was inspecting windshields on a conveyor. The worker dropped a roll of stickers under the conveyor and reached to pick them up. The worker’s hand was caught and injured between parts of the conveyor and a damaged guard.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the guard was damaged and did not prevent access to the moving parts of the conveyor.

Pilkington Glass of Canada Ltd. pleaded guilty to failing to replace or repair the damaged guard.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Ann Forfar. In addition to the fine, 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:

Pilkington Glass of Canada Ltd. was found guilty of violating section 25, 1(b) which states,

“The employer shall ensure that the equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are maintained in good condition.”

Section 25 of the ACT covers so much and it should be the first section for any and all employers to read prior to initiating any business. In this case, machine guarding as to be provided and, through preventative maintenance, must be kept in working order. Here we find an employer not reviewing these types of things and letting things lax. I guess they will be adding machine guarding to the annual inspection and I hope they ask the JHSC to do the same on their monthly in-plant inspections.

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 ‘Machine Guarding’. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.

We can also be reached at 

‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.

Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Foundation Level
VP & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.

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