Future Mobility Healthcare Inc has been fined CAD150,000 (USD125,385) for violations of Province of Ontario safety rules following a death in a forklift-related incident. The Mississauga company pleaded guilty.
A worker on a crew was killed on 26 May 2013 while trying to remove a 3,500 lb. (1,575 kg) machine from a tractor trailer.
A forklift operator was moving the machine while two other workers were standing in the trailer and attempting to guide and stabilise the load. The distance between the two tynes of the forklift was too wide, and the machine was lifted on just one fork.
The operator began to lift the machine, but the load began to tip toward one side of the trailer. One worker jumped out of the way, but the other stayed beside the machine and tried to stop it from tipping. The machine continued to tip off the fork and pinned the worker against the side of the trailer, causing fatal injuries.
An Ontario Ministry of Labor investigation found that the company failed to ensure that materials were lifted or moved in such a way that they did not endanger the safety of any worker, as required by law.
The Future Mobility guilty plea acknowledged failure as an employer to ensure that materials or equipment were lifted or moved safely and failure to ensure that the material was transported so that it did not tip or fall, as required under Ontario regulation 851/90 for industrial establishments and the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Justice of the Peace Jeannie Anand in the Provincial Offences Court in Mississauga approved the fine on 13 January. In addition, the court imposed a 25% victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Future Mobility specialises in the assembly of wheelchairs.