Dofasco fined nearly $220,000 after worker injured at Hamilton steel plant

ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P. has been fined a total of $218,750 after a worker was injured at its plan in Hamilton.

On June 26, 2021, four workers were preparing a production line at the company’s steel mill for a tool change.

During this changeover, the line was put into jog mode, which enables the line to run at a reduced speed.

One worker attended to the weld coil, a component that is removed as part of the changeover. This requires the use of a socket wrench to release a bolted plate that holds the coil in place.

The tube steel product being manufactured travels through the weld coil and enters rollers used to guide the tube to the next part of the mill.

While using the socket wrench on the weld holder plate bolts, the worker’s hand was pulled by the tube into a pinch point within the machinery causing a critical injury.

A Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development investigation found that the in-running nip hazard was unguarded. This allowed the worker to access the point of hazard.

The company was therefore found to have failed to ensure that the measures and procedures prescribed by Section 25 of Regulation 851 were carried out in a workplace contrary to Section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Regulation 851 states: “An in-running nip hazard or any part of a machine, device or thing that may endanger the safety of any worker shall be equipped with and guarded by a guard or other device that prevents access to the pinch point.”

Following a guilty plea, the company was fined $175,000. The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act, brining the total to $218,750. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.