$130,000 in Fines Imposed on Steel Manufacturer for Two Separate Incidents

A processor and manufacturer of steel products pleaded guilty and was fined $130,000 for two separate incidents, four days apart. In the first incident, a worker fell while changing a tuyere and blow pipe assembly on the west side of the furnace. He suffered a leg fracture. The manufacturer was fined $55,000 for failing to provide a safe means of access to perform the work. In the second incident, two workers were troubleshooting a malfunctioning closed-circuit TV camera. They shut off the cooling fan to prevent dust from being blown around. After ascending and descending the stairs two or three times to access the camera, one worker was overcome with fumes and lost consciousness, although he regained consciousness a few minutes later. Testing showed that the oxygen level in the area near the camera was below 10% by volume because hydrogen and nitrogen gases had accumulated after the cooling fan was turned off. The manufacturer was fined $75,000 for this incident [ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc., Govt. News Release, May 28, 2015].