Paradise Steel Fabricator Faces OHS Charges in Provincial Court

Service NL announced today that Steelfab Industries Ltd. has been charged with violations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations in relation to an incident that occurred in January, 2011. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Occupational Health and Safety Branch.

The incident occurred at the company facility at St. Anne’s Crescent, and involved a worker who was assigned to paint a fabricated trailer. The positioning hook used to lift and hold the trailer in place broke, resulting in the trailer striking the worker and knocking him to the ground. The victim suffered soft tissue injuries to his side and back and required stitches to his head.

The company has been charged with six violations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations which relate generally to its alleged failure as an employer to provide a safe workplace and equipment that is capable of safely performing the functions for which it is intended. The company also failed to ensure that unsafe conditions found during an inspection, which are required to be undertaken by the employer, were not addressed. In addition, the company failed to ensure that a hook on a lifting device incorporated a safety latch and that the working load limit of rigging fittings was known.

The second appearance was Monday, January 28, and the third is scheduled for Thursday, February 28 at Provincial Court in St. John’s.

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Media contact:

Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Service NL
709-729-4860, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca

2013 02 05                                     12:15 p.m.