Two weeks after her husband was killed in a workplace accident in Richmond Hill, his widow is sharing the impact of the loss as Ontario’s Ministry of Labour continues to investigate.
Kamal Kumar, a millwright at Gamma Foundries, died on August 25 after a large sand-mixing machine was activated while he was inside the equipment.
Kumar leaves behind his wife, Anu Rani, their 11-year-old son and his mother, whom he helped support. Rani described her husband as someone who brought happiness to the people around him and said his death has left the family devastated.
Police, firefighters and Ministry of Labour inspectors responded to Gamma Foundries at 115 Newkirk Rd. in Richmond Hill following the incident.
Kumar’s friend, Sam Sharma, said the worker had been checking on a replacement part while a contractor waited nearby. Sharma said Kumar entered the roughly two-storey machine to inspect the issue at around 10:30 a.m.
Gamma Foundries president Ryan Bishop said the company is cooperating with the ministry’s investigation. He also said the company is reviewing its own safety procedures and exploring whether additional technology could provide another layer of protection against similar incidents.
Bishop described the incident as a worst-case scenario and said the company plans to bring in an outside consulting firm to identify further safety improvements.
The Ministry of Labour said its investigation remains ongoing and that no further updates are available at this time.
Gamma Foundries does not currently appear on Ontario government websites listing workplace safety sanctions or penalties.