August 23, 2016 – CS Wind Canada Inc.—a manufacturer of wind turbine towers—pleaded guilty and has been fined $60,000 after a worker was injured by moving components of a tower under construction.

In November 2014, a worker at the company facility at 9355 Anchor Drive in Windsor, Ont., was bending one of the ‘skirts’ that, when connected together, form a wind turbine tower about 310-ft high.

During the bending operation, the worker stepped onto the bending machine and inside the rolled skirt to make final measurements prior to welding. The two ends of the skirt—which were butted up against each other—suddenly moved, trapping part of the worker’s body. The worker suffered multiple injuries.

A Ministry of Labour (MoL) investigation found the incident took place because the skirt in the bending machine was not blocked to prevent movement. This would have been a reasonable precaution under Section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, says MoL, which requires an employer to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.

In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25% victim fine surcharge, which is credited to a provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.