After a man was struck by a piece of metal a stop-work order was issued to a Halifax-area (Canada) business. According to the Canadian Press, the 24-year-old worker suffered serious injuries to his arm after the metal fell on him at Cherubini Metal Works in Dartmouth.
A Labour Department representative said it appears the injured worker was welding a sheet of metal weighing about 20 tons when the jigs supporting it gave way. Kevin Finch said the department issued an immediate stop-work order in relation to the use of jigs lasting until an engineer deems them safe. He said that inspection must be complete by October 8. It is too early to say if charges will be laid against the company, Finch said. (WCxKit)
The department also ordered the company to turn over copies of design documents regarding the use, inspection and maintenance of jigs; any written safe work procedures and inspection reports the company has for jigs; documentation around the training and employment history of the injured worker; a list of witnesses to the accident; and a copy of the findings of the employer's internal investigation of the incident.
In a news release, Cherubini said it is fully co-operating with the investigation.
"Safety is something we work at quite diligently,'' said general manager Steve Ross.
Finch said in November 2009, the Labour Department responded to a safety complaint at Cherubini Metal Works relating to working conditions in a confined space, but no violations were observed.
The department also investigated after a worker broke a foot on the job in May 2009, but no safety violations were found, said Finch.
In 1998, the company was fined $3,000 by the courts after being found guilty of two violations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in relation to failing to secure properly scaffolding to a building. (WCxKit)
Mary Kingston, a spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Workers Compensation Board, said Cherubini was never on "the annual list" of companies in the province to receive surcharges or warning notices from the board.
Being "placed on the list" indicates an above-average number of claims for workplace injuries.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
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