Hamilton company punished by Province after worker dies of electrocution
Published December 16, 2020 at 5:00 pm
Hamilton company, Miska Trailer Factory was fined $150,000 after a guilty plea, the Province announced Wednesday (Dec. 16).
A worker was electrocuted and died from his injuries after coming into contact with live powerlines at the company’s manufacturing facility at 1056 Highway 6 North, according to official documents.
The incident occurred on March 21, 2019. The conviction was handed down on Dec. 11, 2020.
“A worker employed by Miska was tasked by a supervisor with modifying some new flags attached to aluminum poles and then mounting the aluminum poles atop stationary flagpoles located along a fence in the factory’s parking lot,” according to the documents.
“The worker drove a forklift with a scissor lift on its forks to the work area in the parking lot, then got on the scissor lift with an aluminum pole with a flag attached. The worker raised the lift to reach the top of the flagpole.”
As the aluminum pole was lifted into position, it made contact with the 16,000-volt live overhead powerlines above the flag pole, electrocuting the worker.
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Co-workers lowered the scissor lift and the worker was transported to hospital in critical condition, ultimately succumbing to the injuries.
The court also 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,” according to the Province.
“An investigation of the incident by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development found Miska did not take steps to prevent encroachment by the existing flagpole and new flag installation upon the 3-metre (10-foot) minimum distance set from live powerlines.”
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