{"data":{"cache":"2025-11-26 19:28:07","id":1006077,"previous_administration_flag":0,"assets":null,"contacts_custom":null,"contacts_default":null,"contacts":"<p><strong>Media Relations<\/strong><br \/>Communications Branch<br \/><a href=\"mailto:mlitsdmedialine@ontario.ca\">mlitsdmedialine@ontario.ca<\/a><\/p>","content_title":"Niagara Falls Manufacturer Fined $220,000 Following Workplace Fatality","clean_title":"Niagara Falls Manufacturer Fined $220,000 Following Workplace Fatality","content_subtitle":null,"content_lead":"<p><span><span><strong>Convicted:<\/strong> Brunner Manufacturing &amp; Sales Ltd., 5720 Don Murie Street, Niagara Falls, Ontario; manufacturer of commercial vehicle components.<\/span><\/span><\/p>","content_body":"<p><span><span><strong>Location of Workplace:<\/strong> The company&rsquo;s Tecna Forge manufacturing facility at 5770 Don Murie Street, Niagara Falls, Ontario.<\/span><\/span><\/p><p><span><span><strong>Description of Offence:<\/strong> Brunner Manufacturing &amp; Sales Ltd. failed, as an employer, to acquaint workers with the hazards of deviating from instructions provided in a machine&rsquo;s operating manual, contrary to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/laws\/statute\/90o01#BK51\">section 25(2)(d)<\/a> of the <em>Occupational Health and Safety Act<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/p><p><span><span><strong>Date of Offence:<\/strong> June 24, 2023<\/span><\/span><\/p><p><span><span><strong>Date of Conviction:<\/strong> May 22, 2025<\/span><\/span><\/p><p><span><span><strong>Penalty Imposed:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p><ul>\t<li><span><span>Following a guilty plea in the Welland Provincial Offences Court, Brunner Manufacturing &amp; Sales Ltd. was fined $220,000 by Justice of the Peace Carol Chernish; Crown Counsel was Patrick Travers.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\t<li><span><span>The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge on the defendants, as required by the <em>Provincial Offences Act<\/em>. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.<\/span><\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span><span><strong>Background:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p><ul>\t<li><span><span><span><span><span>On June 24, 2023, two workers at Tecna Forge, a division of Brunner Manufacturing &amp; Sales Ltd., were removing a shim, a type of metal spacer, from a press. It was the first time the workers had performed this specific task.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\t<li><span><span><span><span><span>One worker was in an elevated manbasket attached to a lift truck and the other was seated in the cab of the lift truck working the controls. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\t<li><span><span><span><span><span>The workers had removed the machine&rsquo;s diaphragm piston assembly, which weighed approximately 2,750 pounds, and it was suspended in the air by an overhead crane.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\t<li><span><span><span><span><span>One worker exited the lift truck and climbed a ladder to help reposition the assembly when it swung towards them and both the assembly&nbsp;and the worker fell to the ground.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\t<li><span><span><span><span><span>An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found that the press&rsquo;s manual outlined a procedure to safely remove its diaphragm piston assembly using guide studs. However, the workers had used modified steel bolts instead and placed them closer together than recommended, compromising the stability of the suspended load. The workers had also left the assembly suspended contrary to the manual&rsquo;s instructions.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\t<li><span><span>Brunner Manufacturing &amp; Sales Ltd. failed to ensure that workers understood the hazards of failing to follow the instructions in the press&rsquo;s operating manual, contrary to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/laws\/statute\/90o01#BK51\">section 25(2)(d)<\/a> of the <em>Occupational Health and Safety Act<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/li><\/ul>","default_contacts_included_flag":null,"keywords":"","language":"en","media_assets":null,"lead_ministry":{"id":242,"ministries_timeframes_id":6,"acronym":"MLITSD","acronym_fr":"MTIFDC","featured_story_boost":100000,"name":"Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development","name_abbreviated":"Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development","name_fr":"Minist\u00e8re du Travail, de l\u2019Immigration, de la Formation et du D\u00e9veloppement des comp\u00e9tences","name_fr_abbreviated":"Travail, Immigration, Formation et D\u00e9veloppement des comp\u00e9tences","created_at":"2025-03-19T20:25:45.000000Z","deleted_at":null,"updated_at":"2025-03-19T20:25:45.000000Z","pivot":{"release_id":1006077,"ministry_id":242,"lead_ministry_flag":1}},"partner_ministries":[],"ministry_acronym_opposite":"mtifdc","ministry_id":242,"ministry_acronym":"MLITSD","ministry_name":"Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development","ministry_abbreviated":"Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development","preview_expires":null,"quickfacts":null,"quotes":[],"regions":[],"release_date_time":"2025-06-20 15:15:00","release_date_time_formatted":"June 20, 2025","release_id_translated":1006077,"release_type_id":2007,"release_type_name":"Court Bulletin","release_type_label":"court","release_crossreferences_resources":"","release_resources":null,"slug":"niagara-falls-manufacturer-fined-220000-following-workplace-fatality","slug_translated":"un-fabricant-de-niagara-falls-recoit-une-amende-de-220-000-dollars-a-la-suite-dun-deces-au-travail","status_type_id":3002,"streams":null,"owners":[],"tags":[],"topics":[{"label":"Courts, justice and law","description":"Ontario\u2019s laws and related information about our legal system, emergency services, the Ontario Provincial Police and victim services.","link":"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/page\/courts-justice-and-law","value":10}],"unformatted_slug":"niagara_falls_manufacturer_fined_220000_following_workplace_fatality","unformatted_slug_translated":"un_fabricant_de_niagara_falls_recoit_une_amende_de_220_000_dollars_a_la_suite_dun_deces_au_travail","release_distribution_id":5001,"release_language_distribution":null,"distributed":true,"additional":{"content_notes":null,"content_location":null,"content_date":null,"content_time":null,"content_livestream_url":null,"content_epk_url":null,"content_nr_url":null,"content_crossreferences":[],"created_by":null,"content_assets":null,"content_assets_formatted":""}}}