Employer Penalized $300,000 for Worker’s Fatal Head Injuries

A labourer was struck in the head by a launched sheave assembly, which had been under tension by a hoisting mechanism, when it became detached from the concrete floor. He died from his injuries. The employer pleaded guilty to violating Sec. 12(a) of the OHS Code by failing to ensure equipment was of sufficient size, strength and design and made of suitable materials to withstand the stresses imposed on it during its operation and to perform the function for which it was intended or designed. The court fined it $5,000 and ordered it to pay $295,000 to the Manufacturers’ Health and Safety Association of Alberta for the creation of an online resource centre, which will provide industry with the tools to assess and understand limitations and uses of rigging products [Armtec Holdings Ltd., Govt. News Release, Sept. 24, 2013].