A metal fabrication company in Etobicoke, Ont., has been hit with a $70,000 fine after a worker suffered critical injuries while operating an unguarded brake press.
Spacefile International Corp., which manufactures high-density storage products, pleaded guilty in Toronto Provincial Offences Court to violating workplace safety regulations by failing to properly guard machinery.
The incident occurred on March 1, 2023, when a machine operator’s hands became caught between the upper and lower die of a brake press while bending metal sheet. The worker was using foot controls to operate the machine at the time.
Provincial inspectors determined the brake press had no point-of-operation guarding or protective measures to prevent access to the dangerous pinch point where the injury occurred.
Justice of the Peace Mark Conacher imposed the fine on February 27, 2025, following the company’s guilty plea. The court also applied a mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which goes to a provincial fund supporting crime victims.
Under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers must ensure machinery is equipped with guards or devices that prevent access to moving parts.
Industrial press equipment like brake presses are known hazard sources in manufacturing environments, requiring specific safeguarding measures to protect operators.
