Lafarge Canada Inc. pleaded guilty to failing as an employer to ensure that measures and procedures prescribed under section 72 of Ontario Regulation 851 were carried out at its decommissioned cement plant in Zorra Township, Oxford County.
An operational procurement manager died after falling approximately 30 feet from a corroded exterior catwalk that lacked adequate structural integrity and safeguards.
The defendant had a troubling prior record of four workplace deaths and one critical injury since 2003.
The Crown and defence jointly submitted a fine of $400,000 plus costs and surcharges.
The court accepted the joint submission with considerable reluctance, expressing deep concerns about whether the proposed fine would provide sufficient deterrence given the corporation's history of workplace fatalities and the failure to observe obvious safety hazards.
