News Safety & Risk Management Workforce
Critical injury from unauthorized crane work leads to $100,000 fine for Brampton company

ST. CATHERINES, Ont. – Brampton’s Sin Structures Inc. has been charged with a $100,000 fine for a critical injury that transpired due to the unauthorized operation of an overhead crane at a St. Catherines assembly site.

The incident occurred on March 9, 2022, during the inspection of a girder/truss being assembled in an industrial building. The inspection supervisor was accompanied by the lead hand/welder fitter while all other production workers were on break, including the crane operator; with the C3 and C4 overhead cranes left unlocked and accessible.

Upon the inspector noticing an improperly positioned bolt, the lead hand/welder fitter chose to operate the overhead crane to move the bridge girder/truss to access the proper bolt hole locations. This was performed by the lead hand/welder fitter jogging the remote for the crane.

During this, the bridge assembly moved uncontrollably at a distance of approximately four feet, causing the diagonal cord of the bridge girder/truss to move across the steel jig to where the supervisor was seated. The supervisor was critically injured by the pinch point this created.

Sin Structures plead guilty to charges that they failed to ensure the bridge girder/truss was moved in a way that prevented worker endangerment. In addition to the $100,000 fine, the court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act, which is credited to a provincial fund to assist victims of crime.