Fatal shock results in $120,000 fine for Ontario greenhouse

Great Lakes Greenhouses in Leamington, Ont., has been fined $120,000 for a Nov. 2018 incident that resulted in a worker fatality.

The employee received a fatal electrical shock on equipment that had not been properly locked out by the cucumber-growing operation.

The penalty was handed down Oct. 16, according to a court bulletin.

On Nov. 19, 2018, workers were adding to an existing production greenhouse. One worker was re-arranging wiring and doing breaker work as well as connecting wires to an electrical panel located in an electrical room.

While completing the job, the worker was working with a wire containing 600 volts of power, and received a fatal electrical shock.

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A Ministry of Labour inspection found that at the time of the incident, the power to the wires on which the worker had contact were not locked-out as required by Regulation 213/91 (the Construction Projects Regulation).

Great Lakes committed the offence of failing to comply with section 183 of the regulation, contrary to section 23(1)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act; that is, for failing to ensure that the electrical equipment in the area of the project was locked-out when the worker was performing work with the electrical equipment.