Roofing manufacturer fined $60,000 for safety violation

IKO Industries Ltd., a Calgary-based roofing manufacturer with a facility in Brampton, Ont., was fined $60,000 for a violation of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.

On March 24, 2011, at the company’s Brampton facility, a worker was investigating a problem on one of the production lines that manufactures asphalt shingles. The worker placed a gloved hand on a sheet of asphalt that was being processed. The worker’s hand was pulled into a roller and exposed to a pot of tar. The worker suffered third degree burns.

IKO Industries Ltd. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the line’s rollers were equipped with a guard or other device to prevent access to the pinch point.
Justice of the Peace Hilda Weiss imposed the fine. In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.