Blog Post #258 – Contractor and Director Fined $44,000 Total for Safety Violation

Excerpt from the government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’

Network Site Services Ltd., a construction contractor from Cambridge, was fined $38,000 on November 19, 2010, for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Donald Medeiros a director with the company, was fined $6,000 in relation to the same incident.
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Blog Post #251 – Tomlinson Waste Management Inc. Fined $50,000 after Worker Injured

Excerpt from the Government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’

Tomlinson Waste Management Inc. was fined $50,000 on November 4, 2010, for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.

On December 2, 2008, at the company’s Ottawa facility, workers were loading scrap metal into a bin. A driver used a truck to put the bin on the ground. The driver then got out of the truck and went between it and the bin to disconnect the two. While the driver was still between the bin and the truck, a second worker started loading scrap metal into the bin. This caused the bin to move unexpectedly, pinning the driver against the truck. The driver suffered a broken leg.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the second worker had not been properly instructed on safe procedures for loading the bin.

Tomlinson Waste Management Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Louise Rozon. 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.

The law(s) broken,

Tomlinson Waste Management Inc. was found guilty of violating section 25 (2)(a) of the OHSA which states,

“An employer shall,

a) Provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect the health and safety of the worker.”

My opinion,

Every procedure and work done in a factory, mine, healthcare facility, construction project or an industrial setting should have a set of written safe work instructions. This would take the guess work out of the safety aspect of the job and all workers, and supervisors, would ensure the safety of all those around them. As you can see, however, the onus is still on the employer to make this so.

Maybe next time!

Remember – In Ontario, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”

‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
VP & Senior Trainer
HRSGroup Inc.

Blog Post #42 – Minister Speaks Out About Health and Safety Inspection

Excerpts from the OH&S Magazine

Provincial health and safety inspection are in no danger of becoming privatized, says Peter Fonseca, Ontario’s Labour Minister.

Concerns surrounding the privatization of OH&S inspections have been raised by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) which represents the provincial inspectors currently housed in the MOL.

An ongoing review of Ontario’s OH&S system – lead by Tony Dean, a former Deputy Labour Minister, and supported by a multi-stakeholder panel – is what captured the attention of the union.
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Blog Post #18 – Supervisor’s Responsibilities Under the ACT

The OHSA has a separate section (27) to cover a supervisor’s responsibilities. It is very important that any supervisor receive appropriate training to become competent under the ACT. The training, as part of the orientation process, acknowledges the supervisor’s responsibility for the safety of the worker. ALWAYS! The supervisor, from Day 1, needs to understand the ACT and regulations applicable to them. One such way to better deal with this is to make sure the supervisor has the sector-specific green book and review section 27.

The 4 main books cover the following;

a) Industrial Establishments
b) Mining
c) Construction
d) Healthcare

There are a few others but these 4 cover most of the job sites in Ontario.
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