Worker pinned by platform
ST. CATHARINES — A worker died in November, three days after being seriously injured at a General Motors plant in St. Catharines, Ontario.
On November 18, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour was notified of an accident at the plant, where construction work was under way, says ministry spokesperson Matt Blajer. Eric Koopman, an employee of subcontractor Procon Niagara, was pinned between an elevated work platform and a steel pipe.
The worker was taken to hospital and the ministry was notified November 21 that he had succumbed to his injuries.
Blajer says that Procon Niagara was issued two orders citing the need to have a third-party qualified mechanic test the elevated platform, and to ensure the elevated platform is not disturbed until testing has been completed.
Mark Cherney, business representative for Local 303 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Niagara Falls, Ontario, says that Koopman had been a member since 1977 and had worked for several affiliated contractors over his career.
Go Back to Web-Exclusive News