Hamilton’s ArcelorMittal Dofasco fined $175,000 after workplace incident results in amputated fingers

ArcelorMittal Dofasco has been fined $175,000 over a workplace incident that amputated a steelworker's fingers.

The fine was imposed after the Hamilton steelmaker pleaded guilty in virtual court last Thursday to one charge under the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act. A second workplace safety charge was withdrawn.

The victim in the workplace incident, a mill operator at the plant's No. 2 tube mill, lost four fingers when her left hand was pulled into a pinch point" by a steel tube moving along the production line on June 26, 2021, according to an agreed statement of facts.

The steelmaker said in a statement to The Spectator the company has since introduced enhanced guarding" on the tubular line and updated operating procedures to prevent similar injuries in future.

It is difficult to reflect on this accident and to comprehend the impact of this injury on our colleague and their family," the company said in the statement. The safety, health and well-being of everyone working on site is a core value and this incident and the resulting impact of the serious injury our colleague suffered is regrettable."

The $175,000 penalty is a rather high fine" for the injuries involved, said provincial prosecutor David McCaskill at the hearing.

But he told justice of the peace Robert Munro, who accepted the joint submission, that the fine amount takes into account aggravating factors," including previous convictions for workplace injuries at Dofasco.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is Canada's largest flat-rolled steelmaker and the biggest private employer in Hamilton, with close to 5,000 workers.

The steelmaker was most recently fined $290,000 in 2020 over two separate injury incidents, including workers exposed to carbon monoxide gas and another employee whose hand was caught in a pinch point of equipment.

Dofasco was also fined $60,000 after a worker was overcome by gas fumes and lost consciousness in 2014.

ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada, a subsidiary in the sprawling steelmaking family of companies, was also fined $75,000 in 2018 after a steel coil fell on a worker.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com