Company Fined $15,000 for Incident in Which Hook Holding Trailer Broke

A worker was assigned to paint a fabricated trailer. The positioning hook used to lift and hold the trailer in place broke, causing the trailer to strike and knock him to the ground. He suffered a number of soft tissue injuries and a head wound. The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the hook had a safety latch and that the manufacturer or a professional engineer had determined the working load limit of the positioning hook. The court fined it $15,000 and ordered it to make a $2,000 contribution to the Minister of Service NL for education purposes [Steelfab Industries Ltd., Govt. News Release, July 31, 2013].