A company in Oldcastle has been fined $180,000 following a workplace fatality.
On March 28, 2022, a maintenance worker was called to troubleshoot a problem with a stamping press at Saturn Tool & Die.
Based on a Ministry of Labour report, the worker entered the press, which caused the press to stop operating. The worker did not lock out the machine, and unaware that the worker was inside, another employee returned to the press and reset it which led to the fatal injury.
The Ministry of Labour investigation found that it was common practice at the time of the incident for workers on the production floor not to use the lock for troubleshooting or maintenance work of a short duration.
The Ministry found that Saturn Tool failed, as an employer, to ensure that the motion of any part of the press that could endanger a worker was stopped and blocked during the troubleshooting process.
Saturn Tool pleaded guilty in the Provincial Offences Court in Windsor, and was convicted on September 4, 2024.
The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge.
Saturn Tool & Die, which is located at 5175 Hennin Drive in Oldcastle, is an automotive parts manufacturer.
