A railroad freight car company from Hamilton has been fined $140,000 after a worker was killed on the job more than two years ago.
The incident happened on Sept. 2, 2020 at National Steel Car Ltd./Wagon D’Acier National Limitee’s factory at 600 Kenilworth Ave. N.
According to a court bulletin issued by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the worker died after being struck by a lift-assist device known as a turnover pick-up that fell from an overhead crane.
The memo indicated that they were using an overhead crane to connect the turnover pick-up to a coupler box at the end of the railcar when the crane’s hoist chain slackened, which caused its hook to slip out of the pick-up.
The pick-up then fell downwards and fatally struck the worker.
“National Steel Car Limited/Wagon D’Acier National Limitee failed, as an employer, to ensure that the hoisting controls for the overhead crane were located so they could be operated at a safe distance from a load being lifted, as required by Section 51(4)(a) of Ontario Regulation 851,” the memo said.
The regulation requires that hoisting controls for an overhead crane, when operated from a place other than a cab or stage, be located so they can be operated at a safe distance from the load being lifted.
National Steel Car Limited/Wagon D’Acier National Limitee was convicted on Dec. 15. The company had pled guilty in Provincial Offences Court.
As required by the Provincial Offences Act, the court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
National Steel Car Limited/Wagon D’Acier National Limitee was also found to have contravened Section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act by failing, as an employer, to ensure that the measures and procedures of Section 51(4)(a) of Ontario Regulation 851 were carried out.
