Company President/Supervisor Fined $10,000 in Worker’s Death

Company presidents are at risk of charges and fines under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.  This is another example.

A company president, who was also the worker’s supervisor, has been personally fined $10,000.00 in relation to the worker’s death.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s press release, the worker was replacing a tire on an excavator at a customer’s workplace in Erin. The worker used two jacks to lift the rear of the excavator, with at least one jack on a wooden block. There were no other stands supporting the vehicle. While the worker was under the excavator, it tipped off the jacks, fatally crushing the worker.

Holmes Tire Inc., a commercial tire supplier and the worker’s employer, was also fined $75,000.

Both the employer and the president/supervisor pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the excavator was securely and solidly blocked to prevent it from moving or falling on the worker.

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Adrian Miedema

About Adrian Miedema

Adrian is a partner in the Toronto Employment group of Dentons Canada LLP. He advises and represents public- and private-sector employers in employment, health and safety and human rights matters. He appears before employment tribunals and all levels of the Ontario courts on behalf of employers. He also advises employers on strategic and risk management considerations in employment policy and contracts.

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