Resolute Forest Products fined $120,000 after worker injured in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. in Thunder Bay, Ont. Photo: Google Streetview

Resolute Forest Products has been fined $120,000 after one of its workers was injured on the job in Thunder Bay, Ont.

On July 31, 2021, workers were asked to bring a replacement transformer to another part of the facility.

The workers used a forklift to push the transformer, which weighed over 22,000 lbs.

To facilitate the move, they placed “Hillman rollers” under each corner of the transformer and used ball peen hammers to adjust its direction instead of using the steering handles and pre-load pads that are intended for use with Hillman rollers. Additionally, the replacement transformer was not secured to the rollers as recommended in the Hillman Roller Products Instruction Manual.

When a worker struck a roller with their hammer, the transformer toppled on its side, seriously injuring one of the workers.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. failed as an employer to ensure that the transformer was moved in a way that did not endanger the safety of any worker.

As a result, the employer violated section 45(a) of the Regulation for Industrial Establishments, contrary to section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Following a guilty plea in the Ontario Court of Justice, Resolute Forest Products Inc. was fined $120,000. 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.