MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (June 11)—Automotive foam producer Woodbridge Foam Corp. was fined $130,000 for a safety violation that resulted in an employee's death last year.
A worker was loading foam into a shredder March 4, 2003, when he entered the shredder and later was found dead. Ontario's ministry of labor investigated the incident and found that an assembly on the machine was not working.
The assembly was designed to stop the shredder when more than 70 pounds of pressure was placed on a plate entering the shredder. When the worker entered the shredder, accumulated waste foam particles on the safety assembly prevented it from working.
The ministry ruled the assembly was not properly maintained and Woodbridge pleaded guilty.