Hamilton man is dead after a workplace accident at a recycling plant

Man was struck by metal bin door at Lake Avenue North facility

The Ministry of Labour is investigating the death of a man killed on the job in Hamilton Monday.

Emergency crews were called to Wasteco’s 306 Lake Ave. N. location at about 9 a.m. after a man was injured inside the waste and recycling facility.

Matt Blajer, a spokesperson for the ministry, said the victim was an employee of Waste Management Canada and was at the east-end location to deposit a load.

“He was inside the recycling facility unloading the contents of a bin,” Blajer said. “The worker was struck by a metal bin door. It was a fatality. We are investigating.”

Blajer said he could not comment on the man’s injuries or the weight and size of the door.

It’s not known if the man died at the facility or in hospital.

Hamilton police also responded and referred to the incident as a sudden death. Police would give no further comment because the ministry is now handling the investigation.

Wasteco declined to speak to The Spectator about the incident and referred all inquiries to Waste Management Canada.

“It’s a government investigation and we really can’t comment,” said Cal Bricker, Waste Management Canada’s vice-president of public affairs. “We are co-operating fully and we hope to find out soon what the circumstances were.”

Bricker said the man was a driver who dealt largely with roll-off containers, or large waste-dumping bins.

He would not comment on the man’s age or how long he had been with the company.

“We’re not giving out any personal information right now,” he said, adding support systems are in place for coworkers.

According to the ministry, there were 678 critical injuries and 22 deaths in Ontario’s industrial sector last year. In 10 of those fatal cases, workers were crushed. Close to 30 per cent of the deaths resulted from a worker being struck with an object.

The Wasteco death comes two weeks before the National Day of Mourning, held every year on April 28 for men and women killed, injured or made ill on the job.