Scrap metal recycler American Iron and Metal has been sentenced to pay $100,000 in the 2022 workplace death of a New Brunswick man.
The company had pleaded guilty under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failure to ensure the health and safety of an employee. The company had originally been scheduled to go on trial for the charge but changed its plea last week.
Darrell Richards, 60, died July 1, 2022 in hospital. The previous day, he had been working at the Saint John, N.B., scrapyard breaking down a calendar roll, a cylindrical tool used to press paper or plastic. Richards was straddling the roll, cutting into it with a circular saw, and it decompressed.
According to court documents, the incident sent 3,700 pounds of material under at least 1,500 tons of pressure flying across the job site.
The statement of facts showed American Iron and Metal (AIM) did not have a comprehensive risk assessment in place for breaking down the calendar roll.
Saint John provincial court Judge Claude Haché ordered the company to pay a $100,000 fine in Richards’ death and an additional $7,000 for a scholarship in his name to be established at the New Brunswick Community College for an incident not related to Richards’ death.
Richards’ family told reporters outside the courtroom they were relieved the process was finally finished — saying they can move on with their grief.
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