Union Felt Products Fined for Health and Safety Vi
Toronto, Ontario, February 17, 2006--Union Felt Products Inc., a manufacturer of carpet underlay and other padding, was fined $70,000 today for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in a serious hand injury to an employee.
On December 2, 2004, a worker was underneath a "garnet machine" (a machine that takes fibrous material and combines it into layers of adding) when the worker's right hand got caught between two rotating rollers. At the time of the incident the worker was investigating a problem with the processing of material.
To access the garnet machine the worker had opened a door to a protective, surrounding fence. As a result of the incident, the worker suffered a loss of the right hand at the wrist. The incident occurred at the company's plant at 3636 Weston Road in Toronto.
A Ministry of Labour investigation determined that prior to the injured worker going under the garnet machine, a supervisor had instructed workers to shut off the garnet machine so maintenance staff could be called. However, inertia caused the rollers to continue rotating for a period of time.
The ministry also found a written lockout procedure for the garnet machine did not address the moving machinery caused by inertia. The injured worker had been trained in the company's lockout procedure. In addition, electronic interlocks on the fence's access doors were designed to shut down the garnet machine when a door was opened, but, after the power was interrupted, the rollers continued to rotate for some time.
Union Felt Products Inc., pleaded guilty, as an employer, to failing to ensure motion that could endanger a worker was stopped on the part of the garnet machine that was being repaired, as required by Section 75(a) of the Regulations for Industrial Establishments. This was contrary to Section 25(1)(c) of the act.
The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Richard Quon of the Ontario Court of Justice at Old City Hall in Toronto. In addition, the court imposed a 25 % 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.
