Worker injured by steel struts; Trenton company fined $55K
December 18, 2017
By Ontario Ministry of Labour
Dec. 18, 2017 – Trenton, Ontario-based Frazier Industrial Company – operating as Fracan – has been fined $55,000 after a worker suffered permanent crushing injuries.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, a worker was given the task of moving a bundle of steel using an overhead crane. The bundle consisted of 20 steel struts stacked in four rows with three-inch wooden spacers between each row. The bundled weighed about 2,600 pounds and was 20.5 feet long. The worker used a set of lifting chains attached to the overhead crane to move the bundle and was holding onto the bundle to keep it steady as it lifted.
As the load was being raised, one of the outer steel struts in the bundle suddenly moved inward and pressed against the next steel strut. The worker suffered a crushing injury which resulted in a permanent injury.
The investigation by the Ministry of Labour revealed that it was common for the steel struts to shift in this manner when being moved by overhead cranes.
Section 45(a) of Ontario Regulation 851 (the Industrial Establishments Regulation) states that materials, articles or things required to be lifted, carried or moved, shall be lifted, carried or moved in a manner that does not endanger the safety of any worker.
