Ontario Construction News staff writer
Fritz Construction Services Inc. has been fined $110,000 for its role in a 2020 incident that led to a worker’s deal.
The precast concrete manufacturer based in Chepstow pleaded guilty to violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act in relation to the Jan. 6, 2020 incident.
According to a court report, the worker was operating a trolley system used to transport slabs of precast concrete through the building.
He was last seen between two trolley carts that moved on a cable and rail system operated by a hand-held remote control. The worker was later found unconscious between concrete slabs being transported by the two carts. There were no witnesses to the incident.
The worker died at hospital.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found the primary cause of the incident was the ability of the carts to make contact, thereby creating a crush hazard.
The investigation also found there were no safeguards in place and a major contributing factor was the company’s installation of a wire rope clamp on the wagon puller cable which was inconsistent with the manufacturer’s design.