Manufacturer fined after worker falls

Wescast Industries Inc., a manufacturer of vehicle exhaust systems, has been fined $110,000 after a worker sustained arm and head injuries in a fall at the company’s Strathroy plant.

On January 11, 2011, a worker was operating an elevating work platform — a Skyjack scissor lift — to perform maintenance on a ventilation system when the Skyjack tipped over. A Ministry of Labour investigation found that a tire on the Skyjack drove into an opening in a coolant collection trough, causing the machine to tip over.

The court found that Wescast failed to ensure that the worksite floor was free from the obstruction or hazard of an uncovered opening in the trough, and failed to ensure that a grate for the trough was secured in place. The injured worker suffered a fracture in the arm and head injuries as a result of the incident.

Wescast was found guilty after a trial on July 11, 2013, and has been fined $110,000 by Justice of the Peace Anna Hampson in the Provincial Offices Court in London. The company was also ordered to pay 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.