Ontario manufacturer fined $70K for worker nip hazard injury

June 25, 2019 – An Ontario manufacturer of coated metal products has been fined by the province’s Ministry of Labour after a worker was injured while cleaning machinery that wasn’t properly guarded.

The incident occurred on April 10, 2018 at Continuous Colour Coat Limited’s manufacturing facility in Rexdale, Ontario.

Following guilty pleas, Justice of the Peace Odida Quamina fined Continuous Colour Coat Limited $70,000 in Toronto provincial court. The court also 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.

On the day of the incident, a worker was cleaning the metering roll of a coater machine. The metering roll was cleaned while the machine was live, running in reverse mode.

Once cleaned, the metering roll was inspected for defects by the worker. While inspecting the metering roll, the worker’s hand was drawn between the roll and a paint tray, causing injuries.

The procedure for cleaning the metering roll required that a guard be in place to prevent an in-running nip hazard.

A Ministry of Labour investigation determined that a guard was not in place at the time the worker was inujred.

Section 25 of Ontario Regulation 851 ( the Industrial Establishments Regulation) states that an in-running nip hazard or any part of a machine, device or thing that may endanger the safety of any worker shall be equipped with and guarded by a guard or other device that prevents access to the pinch point.