A Wallaceburg tool and die company has been fined $75,000 following a workplace injury.
According to the Ministry of Labour, a worker was critically injured at Aarkel Tool and Die Inc. at 760 Lowe Avenue in Wallaceburg on November 20, 2022 after a lower carrier assembly tipped and fell. A lower carrier assembly is a component, often found in vehicle differentials, that houses and supports the ring gear and pinion gear, and facilitates the transfer of power from the driveshaft to the wheels.
The ministry noted a worker was using an overhead crane to fit two parts of a heavy steel automotive tool together - a shot block and a carrier assembly - and when the shot block was lowered onto the carrier assembly, the worker used jackscrews under the assembly to try and secure the object from tipping. However, the jackscrews were not bolted, secured, or attached to the work surface or the assembly.
The ministry said the company failed to provide information, instruction, and supervision to a worker to protect the health or safety of the worker mandated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
"While the shot block was positioned on the carrier assembly, the worker pulled on it and felt it move. The lower carrier assembly then tipped and fell off the work surface, critically injuring the worker," ministry officials said in a statement issued on Monday. "Aarkel Tool and Die Inc. failed to provide adequate instruction and supervision regarding the selection and placement of appropriate materials to ensure the safety of the worker, contrary to section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act."
Aarkel pleaded guilty in Provincial Offences Court near Chatham on May 28, 2025.