Worker killed at industrial plant in Stoney Creek
Company says Hamilton man, 36, was ‘injured by industrial material’
The Ministry of Labour is investigating after a worker was killed in an industrial accident at a Stoney Creek steel company Tuesday morning.
Emergency services were called to Janco Steel Ltd. for an “industrial rescue” just before 10:40 a.m., according to the Hamilton Fire Department. The call was soon upgraded to note that the patient’s vital signs were absent.
Const. Krista-Lee Ernst of the Hamilton police said a 36-year-old Hamilton man later died of his injuries, which had previously been described as “life-threatening.”
Earlier in the day, Supt. Dave Thompson of the Hamilton Paramedic Service told The Spectator that a worker, believed to be in his 30s, was transported to hospital from the Arvin Avenue facility without vital signs.
Paramedics were providing resuscitation efforts en route, he noted.
Few details were known about the accident as of Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement to The Spectator, Ministry of Labour spokesperson Ciara Nardelli said Janco Steel Ltd. had reported that the worker had been “injured by industrial material.” It’s unclear where the accident took place and what the nature of the victim’s injuries were.
In an email, Hamilton Fire Department assistant chief Shawn De Jager said by the time crews arrived at the steel facility, they were met by paramedics “with the patient already in their care.” Neither Ernst nor Thompson could provide any further comment on the call, both pointing to the ongoing labour investigation. Nardelli said two ministry inspectors have been assigned to the investigation.
At the scene Tuesday morning, an ambulance and police officer could be seen standing near several large steel coils outside the facility.
The Spectator made multiple attempts to reach Janco Steel Ltd. for comment Tuesday but did not receive a response.
The Stoney Creek steel processing plant was fined $150,000 for the death of one of its workers who was fatally injured in 2016.
Janco Steel Ltd. pleaded guilty in May 2018 to failing to ensure that regulated measures and procedures under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act were followed.
The Arvin Avenue plant processes steel products, including slit-towidth large coils. A worker was killed on July 21, 2016, after coils were not properly secured by a hold-down arm, causing one of the cut coils to fall and crush him.
News reports at the time said the man had been pinned by a steel coil that fell from its rigging while it was being hoisted. The worker, who was not identified, suffered a head injury and died at the scene, according to the Ministry of Labour.
Health and Safety Act regulations prescribes that materials, such as those produced at Janco, be lifted, carried or moved so as not to endanger the safety of any worker.