Manitoba Labour and Immigration is reminding employers to ensure workplaces are safe and workers are adequately supervised to perform their duties safely, after a number of businesses were prosecuted for Workplace Safety and Health violations.
On June 1, Manitoba Hydro pleaded guilty to two charges after a Workplace Safety and Health investigation revealed that employees working at a diesel generating plant fueling site near Brochet were operating an all-terrain vehicle without the required training or certification. The company was ordered to pay a total of $75,000 in fines.
On July 25, Nordevco Associates Ltd. pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to take measures to ensure the safety, health and welfare of its workers, after a worker was seriously injured on Oct. 7, 2013, while attempting to disengage a tow chain from the rear suspension of a fork-lift. The worker suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries, and the company was ordered to pay $25,550 in fines and surcharges.
On Aug. 27, Terroco Drilling Ltd. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that any part of a rig or any equipment attached to it that may endanger a worker if it fails, moves or falls is secure. A worker was seriously injured on June 17, 2010, while working on an oil rig as part of a crew installing production casing joints into an oil well. A piece of newly installed circulating equipment unthreaded and fell approximately 13 metres, striking the worker on the head and causing permanent brain injury. The company was ordered to pay $20,000 in fines and surcharges.
On Sept. 25, Swan River-based Spruce Products Ltd. pleaded guilty to failing to identify hazards associated with work performed with a compact gang edger after a worker was seriously injured on May 9, 2013, while operating a piece of logging machinery. The worker required hospitalization and eventually recovered from his injuries. The company was ordered to pay $6,502 in fines and surcharges, and an additional $20,000 to the Workplace Safety and Health Branch for public education.
On Oct. 15, Hi-Tec Industries Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to implement proper safety measures to control the hazards associated with work performed on an Amada press brake. On April 24, 2013, a worker for the Portage la Prairie-based company was seriously injured when he lost his balance and accidentally started the bend cycle, resulting in crushing and amputation injuries to both hands. The company was ordered to pay $35,000 in fines and surcharges.
On Oct. 20, Artur Renz pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to provide information, instruction and training to workers regarding the safe installation of a roof truss system and the requirement for fall protection, and to the charge of failing to ensure the necessary fall protection system was in place. On March 16, 2012, a worker sustained serious injuries to his right leg after rafters he was trying to brace for worsening wind conditions collapsed, trapping him. Renz was ordered to pay $5,100 in fines and surcharges.
When a workplace incident occurs, Workplace Safety and Health investigates and can recommend prosecution if it is determined the employer did not have appropriate safeguards in place or employees had not been adequately trained and supervised.
More information about Workplace Safety and Health and the Workplace Safety and Health Act is available online.
