Workplace injury results in $50,000 fine for Kitchener manufacturing company

Inject Tech Plastics of Kitchener, Ont., has been fined $50,000 for failing to provide proper training and supervision to a worker on the safe operation of lift trucks.

The company, which provides moulding solutions and assembly services to the medical, automotive and consumer industries, has also been ordered to pay a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offenses Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.

What happened?

On Aug. 12, 2022, a worker backed into racking while operating a lift truck and was critically injured.

The worker and a production supervisor were initially trained by a third party at the workplace on a different brand of lift truck. They noticed the training skipped over sections that should have been covered. The employer also failed to train workers on new brands of lift trucks, such as the one used in the incident.

The progressive discipline policy for lift truck drivers who had hit something was also not followed, indicating that supervision of lift truck operators was lacking.

A Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development investigation determined that Inject Tech Plastics failed to properly train and supervise the worker on the safe operation of lift trucks, as prescribed by section 51(2)(a) of Ontario Regulation 851/90. As such, the employer breached its duties under section 25(1)(c) and section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.