A precast concrete manufacturer in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, has been fined CA$70,000 after a worker was struck by a moving steel production table. Parts of the equipment’s movement could not be seen from the control station, and the warning system proved inadequate.
What happened
The incident took place on 24 September 2025 at the production site of Kiwi Constructors Ltd. in Guelph. The company uses a semi-automated production system that moves large steel tables between workstations. A worker was walking through the production area while a table was moving, entered the table’s path and was struck. The official bulletin does not describe the worker’s injuries.
Kiwi Constructors pleaded guilty in the Provincial Offences Court in Guelph. Justice of the Peace Michael Cuthbertson imposed a CA$70,000 fine on 18 September 2026, according to a 9 October bulletin from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD). The mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge under the Provincial Offences Act is added on top.
Conclusions
The ministry’s investigation found that parts of the equipment’s movement could not be seen from the control station. The warning system, a white light displayed while the tables moved, proved inadequate. The company was convicted of breaching section 33 of Regulation 851 (Industrial Establishments) and section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). According to Canadian Occupational Safety, section 33 requires automatic start-up warning devices on conveyors or other moving machinery when parts of it cannot be seen from the control station and start-up may endanger a worker.
Recommendations
The reporting contains no recommendations, and the bulletin does not say whether the company has since changed its warning system. No company comment is included. The provision that was breached itself points to the measure: an automatic warning device when machine parts that cannot be overseen from the control station start up. For HSE professionals elsewhere, the case shows that a single warning light was found inadequate where moving machinery is not fully visible to the operator.
Context
The fine is a fraction of the legal maximum. Since the Working for Workers Act, 2023 (Bill 79), the maximum OHSA fine for a corporation is CA$2 million, up from CA$1.5 million, according to the law firm McCarthy Tétrault. That change has applied since 26 October 2023; offences committed before that date are not covered by the higher fine. The incident in Guelph took place almost two years after that date. The CA$70,000 imposed is about 3.5 per cent of the maximum. According to the same firm, Ontario now has the highest maximum fines for corporations in Canada.
Source: Canadian Occupational Safety: Kiwi Constructors fined $70,000 after worker was struck by production table, 14 October 2026
Additional research: McCarthy Tétrault: OHSA maximum fine for a corporation increases to $2 million.
