Guelph's Linamar fined $350K after worker critically injured 2 years ago
Worker was struck by a large broach stick in June 2023
An automotive parts manufacturer in Guelph, Ont., was fined $350,000 for failing to follow safety procedures that resulted in the critical injury of a worker in 2023.
Linamar Corporation was convicted in May after pleading guilty for their part in a work operation that ended with a 460 pound, or 208 kilogram, broach stick falling from a crane onto a worker.
A release from the provincial government detailed that an acting supervisor had directed a worker to perform a broach stick tool change at the facility on 32 Independence Place on June 30, 2023.
A broach stick is used in machining to remove material from a work piece. It's typically a long, toothed bar that cuts into material as it passes through or along it.
The worker was using a jib crane to insert and remove broach sticks from the broaching machine. It was at that time that the large broach stick fell from the crane and injured the worker.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said that a key issue was the crane controls which were "not functioning as designed by the manufacturer." The crane was lifting a broach stick that wasn't fully clamped.
They said Linamar did not ensure that the broach stick was "lifted, carried or moved in a matter that did not endanger the safety of the worker, contrary to their obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act."
Linamar also received a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge that's required by the Provincial Offences Act. That money will go to a provincial government fund that assists victims of crime.