St. Jacobs company fined after employee hit by vehicle driven by fellow worker

A manhole surrounded by grass is seen in this stock photo. (Mahmoud Yahyaoui/Pexels.com)

A construction company from St. Jacobs has been fined after a worker was hit by a vehicle and critically injured, while working on a sewer in Fergus in June 2022.

According to a release posted by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development on Monday, the worker was hurt when they were hit by a vehicle driven by another member of the crew. At the time, the worker had been applying a coat of cement to the inside collar of a sewer chamber to fill in gaps and cracks.

The ministry said the company, Steed and Evans Ltd., had not put any traffic control measures, barriers or warning signs around the workspace to protect the worker.

At the time of the incident, the road was not open to the public, but construction vehicles and other equipment regularly used the space.

The company pleaded guilty in a provincial offences court in Guelph and was fined $70,000 plus a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge.