Coldstream Concrete fined $75,000 after worker hurt in collision between forklift, front-end loader

(Lsantilli/Adobe Stock)

Coldstream Concrete, a manufacturer of precast concrete products for the construction and drainage industries, has been fined $75,000 after a worker was injured when a forklift and a front-end loader collided.

The incident happened on July 25, 2022, at the company’s facility in Ilderton, Ont.

On the day of the incident a worker was operating various lifting devices. The lifts were used to move concrete products in and out of a casting area located inside the Company’s main building.

After delivering a product to the casting area, the worker returned to an outdoor yard using a forklift to collect another piece.

While approaching a ramp that led to the main building, the forklift collided with a front-end loader travelling down the ramp.

The collision resulted in critical injuries to the forklift operator.

A Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development investigation determined that the incident could have been avoided had the Company used a traffic management plan.

Following a guilty plea, Coldstream Concrete Limited was fined $75,000. The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.