The Ministry of Labour is investigating after a person died at a recycling facility on Hamilton Mountain.
Hamilton police staff Sgt. Maggie Schoen said Tragedy in Hamilton.

The Ministry of Labour is investigating after a person died at a recycling facility on Hamilton Mountain.
Hamilton police staff Sgt. Maggie Schoen said police were called to Countrywide Recycling at 900 Nebo Rd. at 3:30 p.m. on Friday to assist paramedics in relation to an on-site fatality.

The worker was reportedly struck by a loader, said Ministry of Labour spokesperson Janet Deline.
Two ministry inspectors have been assigned to the case. The investigation is ongoing.
According to its website, Countrywide Recycling is “Canada’s most advanced construction waste disposal provider.” It delivers bins to construction sites, then removes them and sorts and recycles construction and demolition waste.

The Spectator requested comment from Countrywide Recycling late Friday (Oct. 4) but has not yet heard back.

The Spec

Ontario labour ministry inspectors to conduct safety blitz to prevent common injuries

TORONTO – Inspectors from the Ontario Ministry of Labour will hold a “workplace safety blitz” in the coming months in an effort to prevent the most common on-the-job injuries.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says the three-month project – running from Tuesday until Dec. 27 – will see inspectors focus on musculoskeletal injury and respiratory illness prevention.
Inspections will take place across the construction, health care, industrial and mining sectors, the province said in a statement.

“This enforcement initiative will help prevent needless suffering for thousands of workers and ensure they are safe on the job,” McNaughton said.

In 2017, musculoskeletal injuries – such as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis – accounted for approximately a third of lost-time injury claims accepted by the province’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Those 19,000 claims to the WSIB cost $72 million and caused 462,000 lost work days, the government said.
McNaughton said inspectors will ensure employers have trained workers on materials-handling practices and a variety of other safety procedures – but will also lay down the law against rule-breakers.
Family of Mississauga man killed in industrial accident speaks out.

“We know most employers provide a very safe workplace for their staff, but there are some that need to do better, quite frankly,” he said. “It’s about education for employers and workers … but also a way for our inspectors to go in and issue work orders if necessary.”
The inspections will also look at ways to prevent breathing hazards including gases, dusts, vapours and fumes that can lead to illnesses.

The ministry said that between 2008 and 2017, so-called long latency illnesses, which emerge years after exposure to a disease-causing agent, accounted for the largest portion of WSIB benefit costs.
The bulk of those claims came from chronic illnesses like lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.
McNaughton said government staff have been reaching out to employers about the inspections for weeks.

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