Company Fined $125K After Worker Fatally Electrocuted On The Job
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Konecranes Canada Fine highlights an Ontario OHSA penalty after a fatal electrical shock on an industrial crane, underscoring workplace safety, lockout-tagout, Ministry of Labour enforcement, and compliance in Richmond Hill.
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It is the $125,000 OHSA penalty issued after a fatal 600-volt shock during industrial crane repair in Ontario.
$125,000 fine plus 25% victim surcharge
Breach: energy isolation and verification not followed
Ministry of Labour cites OHSA and lockout-tagout failures
A Burlington, Ont.-based company that services industrial cranes has been fined $125,000 after a worker suffered a fatal electrical shock on the job.
The Ministry of Labour says Konecranes Canada Inc. pleaded guilty last week to a charge under the Occupation Health and Safety Act in connection with the 2015 incident.
The ministry says a worker and manager were working to repair a 20-ton overhead crane, where arc flash training can be critical, at Van-Rob Inc., an auto parts manufacturer in Richmond Hill, Ont., at the time.
It says that while using a scissor lift to reach the crane, the manager received an electrical shock, similar to a recent utility injury reported elsewhere, though circumstances differ. The crane’s power source is rated at 600 volts.
The ministry says the manager died in hospital.
It says an investigation found the workers did not follow the energy isolation and verification procedures laid out in the company’s safety manual, which constitutes a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and underscores the value of worker safety leadership in preventing incidents.
The court also imposed a 25% victim fine surcharge, which goes to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime, and as external investigators have noted in other utility cases, accountability can extend beyond fines.
