Blog Post #131 – Drywall Company Fined $50,000 After Worker Injured

Excerpt from the Ontario Government’s ‘Newsroom’

Nelmar Drywall Company Limited, of Concord, was fined $50,000 on September 8, 2009, for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured.

On July 30, 2007, Nelmar was installing drywall at a construction project on Pine Valley Dr. in Vaughan. The company had subcontracted Golden Progress Renovations, of Scarborough, to do some of the work. On this day, a Golden Progress worker was securing drywall from a ladder. The foot of the ladder was on a bakers scaffold and the top was propped against the wall. The ladder was not secured from moving or slipping. The ladder moved and the worker fell to the ground, sustaining rib, pelvis, and shoulder injuries.
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Blog Post #14 – Employers’ Responsibilities Under the ACT Section 25 – 1st in Series

Sections 25 and 26 of the OHSA are quite explicit on the responsibilities of employers. The following blog deals with section 25, subsection 1 only. A separate blog(s) will be posted at a later date to deal with section 25, subsection 2 as well as section 26.

Section 25, subsection 1, ‘An employer shall ensure that’,
a) The equipment, materials and protective devices as prescribed are provided,
b) The equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are maintained in good condition,
c) The measures and procedures prescribed are carried out in the workplace,
d) The equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are used as prescribed, and
e) A floor, roof, wall, pillar, support or other part of a workplace is capable of supporting all loads to which it may be subjected to without causing the materials therein to be stressed beyond the
allowable unit stresses established under the ‘The Building Code’.
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Blog Post #2 – Lessons Learned From The Sunrise Propane Accident

The final report from the Sunrise propane explosion, in August 2008, has been published. The T.S.S.A., (Technical Standards and Safety Authority) reported illegal truck-to-truck transfers at Sunrise as early as 2006 BUT issued warnings only. Where was the tough stand needed! A couple of deaths, including a fire fighter, were the catalyst to drive even greater safety measures in Ontario.

My problem stems from the fact that there were other explosions, including the very large one on November 09, 2004 at the Caledon Propane and Storage facility on Port Darlington Road, Bowmanville which was one of the largest blasts to occur since the propane explosion during 1961 in Maple Ontario. Since zero deaths occurred at the Bowmanville facility then there seemed to be no immediate need for any corrective action which, may of course, saved the lives of those lost at Sunrise. At the time, the Clarington municipal government was considering relocating the depot. This same position was discussed in the wards and local ratepayers associations around the Sunrise compound.
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