A Windsor-area manufacturing company has been fined $185,000 in connection with a workplace fatality that occurred nearly two years ago, according to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
The ministry, in a news release Tuesday, said the incident happened on Aug. 12, 2024, at Integrity Tool and Mold Inc., a company based in Oldcastle that manufactures moulds for the automotive industry.
The ministry said the worker was repairing a computer numerical control (CNC) machine, an automated tool that uses pre-programmed software to precisely cut, shape and drill materials such as metal and plastic.
At the time of the incident, the machine was operating in manual mode and cycling through tool changes when a program was initiated by the worker, causing it to switch into automatic mode.
The worker then entered the machine enclosure to carry out the repair and sustained fatal injuries, according to the ministry.
The ministry determined the machine had not been powered off or locked out while the worker was inside. It also found that the worker had not received proper lockout training and was not provided with locks for the machine.
Investigators further determined electrical lockout points on the machine were mislabeled and no lockout placard was in place.
Following a guilty plea in Ontario Provincial Offences Court in Windsor, the company was fined $185,000.
A mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge was also imposed under the Provincial Offences Act and will be directed to a provincial fund that supports victims of crime.
