A civil infrastructure company based out of St. Jacobs has been fined $70,000 in connection with an incident that led to a worker’s critical injuries in 2022.

Steed and Evans Ltd. pled guilty to a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in provincial court. The firm will pay the fine, plus a 25-percent victim fine surcharge.

The incident occurred at a worksite on Elliott Avenue and Harpin Way in Fergus, Ontario on June 10, 2022.

A worker was parging previously installed sewer chambers in the middle of a roadway. This involved reaching into the sewer chamber and applying a coat of mixed cement to the inside collar of the chamber to fill in gaps and cracks.

As the worker performed this task on the ground beside the sewer chamber, another worker drove through the area and struck the first worker, causing critical injuries.

At the time of the incident, the worker on the ground was wearing a high visibility vest and was performing the task alone. There were no traffic control measures in place around the worker, or any barriers or warning signs around the workspace.

The road where the work was taking place was an unassumed road and was not open to public traffic, but it was still accessible to vehicular traffic and was regularly used for construction vehicles and equipment.

An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development determined that Steed and Evans Ltd. failed to position adequate warning signs or barriers to protect a worker performing work on a roadway.