An Ontario manufacturer has been fined $50,000 after a workplace accident in Burlington left an employee critically injured.
The incident occurred on April 10, 2023, at Stobag North America Corporation’s manufacturing facility. A worker was inspecting an ongoing problem with a powder coating line drying oven and used a powered lift to reach the top of the equipment.
While the worker was elevated, a seven-metre toolbar being moved by an overhead conveyor struck the lift, causing the worker to fall approximately 14 feet. The fall resulted in critical injuries, according to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
A subsequent investigation found the company did not implement adequate safety measures to prevent moving materials from striking elevated equipment. As a result, Stobag was fined $50,000 and ordered to pay an additional 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which goes toward a provincial fund supporting victims of crime.