Workplace injury results in $50K fine for concrete block manufacturer

Richvale York Block Inc. has been fined $50,000 for failing to ensure there was a guardrail at the open side of a raised platform on which a worker stood.

This is contrary to section 25(1)(c) of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, and an offence pursuant to subsection 66(1) of the the Act.

On Jan. 27, 2023, a worker was on the production floor of the facility, which manufactures concrete blocks for the construction industry.  The worker was bagging and shrink-wrapping manufactured blocks before they were taken to a storage area.

In performing these duties, the worker stood on a platform approximately 29 inches above the work floor.

While using a heat gun to apply shrink-wrapping to a difficult to reach section of a concrete block, the worker stepped backwards and fell from the platform. This resulted in a critical injury.

The company, based in Gormley, Ont., pleaded guilty in Provincial Offences Court.