On November 29, 2012, three workers were in the paper mill located at 427 Mowat Avenue in Fort Frances and were moving a 44,000-pound, 22-foot-long stack roll to a paper machine. The workers used two forklifts to place the stack roll onto a designated cart to bring it into the mill; once inside, another forklift was hooked to the front of the cart using a sling. One worker operated the forklift pulling the cart while two others walked along the cart to guide it. To pass through a hallway about eight feet wide, it was necessary for the two workers to manually push and pull on the stack roll. On one side was a concrete wall and on the other was a set of steps and a steel column.
As the cart moved forward, a wheel hit the column, causing the stack roll to move and pinch the arm of one of the workers who had been pushing on the roll. The worker suffered a crushed arm and wrist.
The Ministry of Labour investigated and concluded that Resolute Forest Products failed as an employer to ensure that a stack roll was moved in such a way and with such precautions as to ensure that the moving the roll did not endanger the safety of the worker. The company pleaded guilty and was fined $55,000 by Justice of the Peace Tom Logan.
In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
