Brampton, Ont. manufacturer M&P Tool fined after temp worker injured by press
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
The worker caught two fingers in a pinch point in a machine used to shape metal parts
BRAMPTON, Ont.—An Ontario manufacturer that makes steel storage racks has been fined $80,000 after a Ministry of Labour investigation determined it did not adequately train a worker to use a piece of machinery.
A temp worker was injured by a machine used to shape metal parts in February of last year at M&P Tool Products Inc.’s plant in Brampton, Ont.
According to the province, the worker, who has been hired through an employment agency about two months before, was operating an Accurpress brake press that uses a pair of foot pedals to raise the top die onto the lower die. The worker had watched a colleague operate the machine for about five minutes before taking over, but was injured when two fingers were caught in the pinch point between the dies and the metal being bent.
While the machine includes a light curtain that transmits a beam of light across the pinch point, the device had not been adjusted for the specific job the worker was performing. A subsequent investigation found M&P had not provided the worker with the information, instruction and supervision to safely operate the machine, as stipulated in the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The company, which is also known as Space Aid Manufacturing, pleaded guilty to the violation in a Brampton court earlier this week.
