Two Safety Incidents Cost Transportation Company $280,000

A company that makes rail transportation systems was fined $140,000 each for two separate safety incidents:

  • A worker was changing a part on a mechanical tube bender that was stuck. He engaged a clamp switch to loosen and remove the stuck part, but doing so energized a ram. His hand was between the energized ram and a grip block. When the ram started, it crushed the tip of one finger, which required partial amputation. The company pleaded guilty to a guarding violation.
  • A young worker, who was also a relatively new employee, reached into an electrical cabinet to clamp an ammeter to verify that it had an electrical current and inadvertently touched a live terminal strip. He wasn’t wearing rubber gloves or using any PPE as required by OHS law and suffered injuries to his arm and hand. The company pleaded guilty to a PPE violation [Bombardier Transportation Canada Inc., Govt. News Release, Sept. 20, 2013].