Company Fined $110,000 after New Worker Is Crushed to Death by Steel Plate

A fairly new worker was using an overhead crane to move a large steel plate weighing more than 7,800 pounds from a pile. He was using two hooks although the company instructs operators to use four for heavy plate lifts. While he was using a hand-held remote to operate the crane, the plate became unstable and shifted. The worker moved around the plate, which continued to slide and struck him, pinning him under the plate and causing fatal injuries. The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that material required to be lifted, carried or moved was moved so as to not endanger the safety of a worker and was fined $110,000 [High Strength Plates & Profiles Inc., Govt. News Release, Aug. 28, 2014].