Concrete company fined $225K after Hamilton worker dies in concrete mixing tank

A Hamilton-based concrete company will have to pay $225,000 after a worker was found fatally injured inside a steel concrete mixing tank on Oct. 18, 2021.

According to an Ontario court bulletin, Coreslab Structures (Ont.) Inc., a producer of concrete products, did not ensure that the control switches of the planetary concrete mixer (steel concrete mixing tank) were locked out before starting it, endangering the worker’s safety.

At the end of each work shift, the mixer needs to be cleaned, including the inside where concrete is mixed.

To clean the interior, a worker has to enter the mixer through one of two top entry hatches.

A mandated step-by-step protocol was given to the assigned workers responsible for cleaning the equipment.

The steps involved:

• Switching the mixer main panel dial to the “off” position.
• Using the worker’s personal lockout-tagout (LOTO) device on the main panel lever.
• Physically turning and removing two keys from the main panel.
• Inserting these keys into each of the hatch locks to enable access to the mixer

According to authorities, prior to the incident, both hatch locks had stopped working due to a build-up of concrete and concrete dust within the locking mechanisms, and both had been removed for repair.

As a result, access to the mixer did not, at that time, require unlocking the hatch locks with the keys from the main panel to permit temporary access to the operating mixer.

“Coreslab Structures (Ont.) Inc., failed, as an employer, to ensure that the measures and procedures were carried out in the workplace,” the press release stated.

This resulted in the worker being injured inside it. Police say that there were no eyewitnesses to the incident.

Since the company pleaded guilty during the trial on Sept. 15, the court issued an additional 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as mandated by the Provincial Offences Act.

This surcharge is allocated to a dedicated provincial government fund aimed at providing support to victims of crime.