Paper Fibres Inc. Fined $100,000 After Worker Seriously Injured

July 16, 2010 2:40 PM

Brampton, Ont. - Paper Fibres Inc., a Mississauga-based company, was fined $100,000 on July 13, 2010, for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was seriously injured.

On March 18, 2009, a worker and a supervisor employed by Paper Fibres Inc. were working on a waste paper baling machine at the production plant at 6405 Northwest Drive in Mississauga. A piece of cardboard had become stuck in the hopper of the baling machine. The worker tried to remove it with a pole, but the pole fell into the hopper. The worker then went inside the hopper to remove the jam while the supervisor manned the controls. The machine cycled with the worker inside, causing serious injuries to the worker's legs.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the machine was not locked out, and motion which could injure a worker was not stopped before the worker entered the hopper.

Paper Fibres Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to have maintenance work performed on a machine only when motion that may endanger a worker had stopped, and when switches and control mechanisms were locked out.

The fines were imposed by Justice of the Peace Jacques Desjardins. In addition to the fine, the court 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.

Court Information at a Glance

Location: Ontario Court of Justice

5 Ray Lawson Blvd.

Brampton ON

Judge: Justice of the Peace Jacques Desjardins

Date of Conviction: July 13, 2010

Defendant: Paper Fibre Inc.

Matter: Occupational Health and Safety

Conviction: Ontario Regulation 851, Section 75(a)

Ontario Regulation 851, Section 76(a)

Crown Counsel: David McCaskill

PDF Version - 28 Kb