Kitchener, Ont. - Kraus Inc., a Waterloo carpet manufacturer, was fined $60,000 on October 19, 2009, for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), after a worker was injured.

On September 2, 2008, a worker placed with Kraus Inc. by a temporary employment agency was unloading carpet from a dyeing machine with rope and an overhead reel. The worker's ankle became tangled in the rope.  The worker was pulled feet first into the air towards the reel, causing an ankle injury.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that Kraus Inc. did not have a written job procedure for the dyeing machine or a safe operating procedure for the use of the rope on the reel.

Kraus Inc. pleaded guilty under the OHSA to failing as an employer to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Robert M. Seneshen.  In addition to the fine, the court also imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge on the total, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.  The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.

Court Information at a Glance

Location:                    Ontario Court of Justice

                                    77 Queen St. N., Courtroom 101

                                    Kitchener, Ont.

Judge:                        

Justice of the Peace Robert M. Seneshen

Date of Conviction:

October 19, 2009

Defendants:

Kraus Inc.

Matter:                      

Occupational Health and Safety

Conviction:

OHSA, Section 25(2)(h)

Crown Counsel:

Brian Blumenthal