Lafarge Canada Inc. has been ordered to pay a $400,000 fine after pleading guilty in connection to the death of a worker at a decommissioned cement plant in Zorra Township more than two years ago.
The Mississauga-based company, a subsidiary of Swiss industrial giant LafargeHolcim, pleaded guilty in Woodstock court on Jan. 11 and was handed the sentence Sept. 20, the Ministry of Labour says.
It’s the fourth time the firm has been convicted of and fined for contravening provincial health and safety laws in connection to the deaths of workers, the ministry says.
The latest conviction stemmed from an Aug. 23, 2017 incident where a worker, leading contractors on a tour of a decommissioned cement plant near Highway 2 and 35th Line, fell 30 feet from a corroded section of walkway, suffering fatal injuries.
The walkway had been on the exterior of one of the former plant’s kiln buildings, which was being considered for demolition — the plant had ceased production in 2008. As the worker led the tour to the upper level of the kiln buildings and onto the walkway, a section gave way and the worker fell, the ministry says.
The company pleaded guilty in court to failing to comply with Section 72 of the Industrial Establishments Regulation.
“The walkway had corroded to the point where it was structurally unsound. It had not been braced or shored up to prevent collapse, and there were no adequate barriers, locks, or other safeguards to prevent access to the kilns or walkways.”
The ministry says the company was convicted of and fined for contravening the Occupational Health and Safety Act in 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2017. Three of the convictions involved the deaths of workers.
Comments