An Ontario court has fined ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Canada Inc CAD110,000 (USD89,900) for a safety violation in an industrial accident at its Brampton plant. In addition, the court imposed a 25% surcharge that is credited to a special provincial fund to assist victims of crime.

A worker was using a forklift to move steel coils from a cradle on 11 December 2007. The operator was off the truck retrieving safety upright bars for the cradle when the 2.7-tonne (5,970-pound) coil tipped onto the worker's leg. As a result of the injuries, the worker's leg was amputated below the knee.

An ArcelorMittal spokeswoman comments: "The health and safety of our workforce will always be ArcelorMittal's number one priority. As part of our commitment to the health and safety of our employees, immediate action was taken to secure and safeguard the Brampton facility against potential accidents in the future following the 2007 incident. The company has been working with [regulators] on the investigation and has agreed to pay a fine associated with the incident."

Hamilton, Ontario-based ArcelorMittal Tubular Products entered a guilty plea for violation of the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The court found that the employer violated section 45(b) of the act's material handling regulation in failing to ensure material that is stored "will not tip, collapse or fall and can be removed or withdrawn without endangering the safety of any worker."

The occupational health and safety branch of the Ontario Ministry of Labour investigated the incident, and the court imposed the fine on 14 April.

Luxembourg-based parent firm ArcelorMittal is a publicly traded steel manufacturer. ArcelorMittal's 2008 crude steel production of 103.3 million tonnes represented about 10% of the global total.