An electrical contractor has been convicted and fined for carrying on an electrical contracting business without being licensed under the Ontario Electricity Act.
A young apprentice with the company was seriously injured after an electrical explosion.
The apprentice was disassembling and reassembling "conduit runs" under the supervision of "others who were his masters or supervisors". He was "pulling a disconnect of a busbar" when it exploded. There was a fire and molten metal fell on him. He suffered lasting injuries.
The court found that the company operated an electrical contracting business without being the holder of an electrical contracting license pursuant to Regulation 570/05 ("Licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians") under the Electricity Act.
The court accepted the prosecutor's request for a $25,000 fine for failing to hold the contracting license.
This case shows that the mere failure to obtain an appropriate license can cost employers many thousands of dollars in fines where the employer carries out safety-sensitive work.
R. v. JF Industrial Systems (Windsor) Inc., 2013 ONCJ 766 (CanLII)
For more information, visit our Occupational Health & Safety Law blog at www.occupationalhealthandsafetylaw.com
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