Toronto-based Cimco Refrigeration was recently fined $95,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health & Safety Act (the Act) that led to a worker sustaining serious injuries.
According to the Ministry of Labour (MOL), a worker from Cimco Refrigeration was standing on a ladder servicing an electrically-powered door at Sobey’s Retail Support Centre in Whitby on August 22, 2009. The worker made contact with the door’s energized control panel, fell from the ladder and sustained severe head injuries and electrical burns.
The MOL reported the panel had not been disconnected from the power supply, locked out of service or tagged as required by section 42(1) of the Regulations for Industrial Establishments (Reg. 851). Cimco Refrigeration pleaded guilty for this violation.
The MOL also found that a manager from the Sobey's Retail Support Centre asked a worker to perform a task that interfered with the scene of the injury prior to an MOL inspector giving permission. This action violated section 51(2) of the Act. Sobeys Capital Inc. pleaded guilty for this violation and was fined $30,000.
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Occupational Health & Safety Act
Section 51 (2)
Preservation of wreckage
51. (2) Where a person is killed or is critically injured at a workplace, no person shall, except for the purpose of,
(a) saving life or relieving human suffering:
(b) maintaining an essential public utility service or a public transportation system; or
(c) preventing unnecessary damage to equipment or other property
interfere with, disturb, destroy, alter or carry away any wreckage, article or thing at the scene of or connected with the occurrence until permission so to do has been given by an inspector, R.S.O. 1990, c. 0.1, s. 51.
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Occupational Health & Safety Act
Industrial Regulations
Section 42 (1)
42. (1) The power supply to electrical installations, equipment or conductors shall be disconnected, locked out of service and tagged before any work is done, and while it is being done, on or near live exposed parts of the installations, equipment or conductors.
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The Workers Health & Safety Centre (WHSC) offers a range of training programs to help employers and supervisors better understand their duties and responsibilities outlined in the Act, the Industrial Regulations and other occupational health and safety legislation. The WHSC also offers lockout, electrical hazard awareness and fall protection training for workers, supervisors and joint committee members.
Want to know about WHSC training programs or training assessment services? Call 1-888-869-7950 or contact a WHSC near you and ask to speak to a training service representative and/or see the following links:
Want more information about this and other recent MOL prosecutions? (see companies fined $125,000 total after worker injured). |
