A company based in Cambridge has been fined $80,000 after a workplace incident in Whitby left an employee injured.
Trade-Mark Industrial Inc. had been carrying out maintenance work at Gerdau Ameristeel Corporation in 2023 when a section of pipe fell during the installation of a furnace. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found the company failed to properly secure and brace parts of the project, including temporary structures, to prevent movement that could compromise the pipe’s stability.
During the job, a worker was instructed to install a butterfly valve on a horizontal cooling pipe but raised concerns that the available bolts were unsuitable. Despite this, a supervisor directed the worker to proceed until correct bolts arrived. At the same time, another crew was repositioning pipe skids connected to the system. While one side of the pipe was supported by a chain, the other relied on the incorrect bolts. As the pipe shifted, it became unstable and fell onto the worker.
The company pleaded guilty on March 3 and was issued the $80,000 fine.