A Cambridge, Ont.-based manufacturer has been fined $175,000 after a worker was critically injured in a 2022 incident involving unsafe machinery.
Canadian General – Tower Limited, a producer of polymeric-coated textile fabrics and vinyl films, pleaded guilty in Provincial Offences Court in Cambridge to failing to ensure worker safety as required by Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The incident occurred on December 1, 2022, at the company’s facility on Middleton Street. According to court documents, workers at an emboss station, where material is embossed onto rolls, noticed a defect on the product and were trying to identify its source. One worker entered the running machine to inspect the roller surfaces and was caught in a pinch point between two counter-rotating rollers. The worker’s gloved hand became trapped, resulting in critical injuries.
The company violated Section 25 of Ontario Regulation 851/90, which requires employers to ensure that workers are protected from pinch points on machinery. Justice of the Peace Trudy B. Mauth handed down the sentence on December 16, 2024, following the company’s guilty plea.
In addition to the fine, the court imposed a mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which is directed to a provincial fund supporting victims of crime.
Crown counsel Neil Gobardhan prosecuted the case.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are responsible for ensuring machinery is safe and for implementing measures to prevent workplace injuries.
