October 12, 2016 - TSP Canada Towers Inc.—a manufacturer of wind turbines and towers in Thorold, Ont.—pleaded guilty and was fined $75,000 after a worker was critically injured when a&
According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, in April 2014, TSP workers were being trained in moving a structural steel ring (a.k.a. paint ring) and placing it into a storage rack at the workplace. The ring was about 15-ft in circumference and weighed about one ton.
The paint rings are stored standing up vertically in the storage rack; they get there via a reach stacker and a sling. In this instance, while the reach stacker operator and assisting workers were trying to remove the sling from the ring, the ring popped out of the rack and struck a worker, pinning him to the ground.
The worker sustained critical injuries requiring surgery. In addition to the $75,000 fine for this case, the court imposed a 25% victim fine surcharge.
Also noteworthy, TSP Canada Towers was fined $80,000 just last year after a 2013 incident in which a worker was crushed by components being moved along a line.