A Guelph company has been fined $70,000 by the province after a worker suffered critical injuries when a kettle with molten asphalt sealant spilled on him.
The incident happened in September 2016 while the company - 2228977 Ontario Inc., operating as R&N Maintenance also known as Rann Maintenance- was working on a road project in Toronto, said a news release from the provincial Ministry of Labour.
The news release offered the following details:
The injured worker was a member of a crew performing road maintenance at the intersection of Danforth Avenue and Logan Avenue in Toronto.
- While travelling a short distance between sites, workers were instructed to ride in the back of a truck. The truck also contained a functioning kettle with molten asphalt sealant with a temperature of about 165 C (about 329 degrees Fahrenheit).
- The truck stopped abruptly and the molten material in the kettle spilled onto one worker, causing serious injuries.
- The Ministry of Labour investigation determined the company failed as an employer to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.
- This was a violation of Section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- The company failed to ensure that material or things were transported or stored so that the material or things are carried or moved in such a way and with such precautions and safeguards as will ensure that the transportation or storing of the material or things does not endanger the safety of a worker.
