A St. Jacobs, Ont., construction company has been ordered to pay a $70,000 fine after a worker was struck by a vehicle and critically injured at a Fergus job site, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said.
Steed and Evans Ltd. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that adequate warning signs or barriers were placed around a sewer chamber site on June 10, 2022, contrary to section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the ministry said. Justice of the Peace Michael Cuthbertson also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which will be credited to a provincial fund for victims of crime.
According to the ministry, the injured worker was applying cement to the inside collar of a sewer chamber in the middle of a roadway when another worker drove through the area, striking the person on the ground. Although the worker was wearing a high-visibility vest, there were no traffic control measures, barriers or warning signs to mark the workspace.
The road was not open to public traffic but was used regularly by construction vehicles and equipment, the ministry said. A subsequent investigation found the company had not followed the measures and procedures prescribed by section 67(4) of Ontario Regulation 213/91, which requires proper signage or barriers for roadwork projects.
Steed and Evans Ltd., based at 3000 Ament Line in St. Jacobs, pleaded guilty to the charge. Crown counsel in the case was Katie Krafchick.
