A worker was ascending a powered lift on the Powder Coating Line at Stobag's Burlington facility. The overhead conveyor was still running. A seven-metre aluminum toolbar attached to the conveyor moved through the area and struck the platform. The lift tilted. The worker wasn't wearing a fall arrest harness. They fell 14 feet. Critical injuries followed.
The conveyor was never stopped before the worker went up.
What Happened
On April 10, 2023, a worker at Stobag North America Corporation in Burlington was tasked with investigating a recurring electrical limit switch problem on the Powder Coating Line (PCL) drying oven. Accessing the switch required elevation. The worker used a powered lift and began ascending.
The PCL drying oven transports aluminum parts on seven-metre-long toolbars via an overhead conveyor. While the worker was ascending, a toolbar being transported on the conveyor moved through the work area and struck the powered lift. The impact caused the lift to tilt. The worker fell approximately 14 feet and sustained critical injuries.
No control measure had been put in place to prevent the overhead conveyor from operating while a worker was elevated in the conveyor's path. The worker was not wearing a fall arrest harness.
Stobag pleaded guilty in Burlington/Halton Region Provincial Offences Court and was fined $50,000 plus a 25% victim fine surcharge under Section 25(2)(h) of the OHSA.
What the Law Says
Section 25(2)(h) OHSA: "An employer shall take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker."
Basically, what this means is simple: stopping an overhead conveyor before a worker ascends a powered lift in the conveyor's path is a reasonable precaution. It takes seconds. Not doing it is a Section 25(2)(h) violation.
Three Things This Case Teaches Ontario Industrial Employers
- Overhead conveyors don't stop automatically for workers on elevated platforms. Before any worker ascends in the conveyor zone, the conveyor must be stopped and locked out. This must be a written precondition in your elevated work procedure, not a judgment call on the day.
- Fall arrest harnesses are mandatory on elevated platforms — every time. When the lift tilted, a harness was the only thing that could have prevented the fall. It wasn't there. The consequences were predictable.
- Elevated maintenance and inspection tasks near active production equipment require a pre-task hazard assessment that identifies all overhead movement hazards. "I was just going to look at the switch" is not a risk assessment.
If your facility has overhead conveyor systems and workers who use powered lifts for maintenance or inspection, this case belongs in your fall protection and lock-out/tag-out training. The full analysis is in the WorkSafe Sounds article linked above.