Company fined $75,000 for critical injuries

A Windsor contracting company has been fined $75,000 after an employee was critically injured by a falling beam.

The Ministry of Labour said CMF Group Inc. pleaded guilty Wednesday for its role in causing the employee’s “critical injuries.” The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim surcharge.

The ministry said the worker, part of a crew with CMF Group, was hurt while installing new milling machines at Service Mold + Aerospace Inc. on St. Etienne Boulevard in Windsor.

“A beam being lifted into the air became unbalanced and slid, striking one of the workers and causing critical injuries to the worker,” the Ministry of Labour said in a news release.

The incident happened on Oct. 28, 2016. The province said a crew was installing the second of two new milling machines, using two 20-ton overhead cranes. The remote controls for each crane had not been synchronized to work in tandem. The cranes were equipped with anti-collision sensors, but they were covered up and did not activate.

While lifting the milling machine, one crane started moving up faster than the other. A horizontal spreader beam between them became unbalanced with one end higher than the other, according to the ministry.

“The beam slid, fell and struck a worker who had been standing on a part of the machine, knocking the worker to the floor,” the ministry said. “The worker suffered critical injuries.”