Accident at North Bay plant leads to $60,000 fine

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO MINISTRY OF LABOUR

************************* NORTH BAY, ON - Xerium Canada Inc., a supplier and repairer of the rolls used in paper-making machines, was fined $60,000 on October 2 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured.

On March 19, 2008, workers at Xerium's North Bay facility were attempting to repair a machine used to mix bonding liquid.

The power to the machine was turned off and the protective guards covering the machine's drive shaft were removed.

The workers turned on the machine again, but did not replace the guards right away; the sleeve of one of the workers was caught in its moving parts.

Xerium Canada Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the machine's driveshaft and gears were guarded to prevent access to their pinch points.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Susan Hilton.

In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25 percent 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.

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