Cambridge company to pay $70,000 fine for incident in 2023

Published on August 19, 2024

A Cambridge flooring company has been fined $70,000 in provincial court in connection with a 2023 incident in which a worker was exposed to carbon monoxide for an extended period of time.

BNE Concrete Floors & Coatings Inc. of Sheldon Drive pleaded guilty in a London court and was fined $65,000 for the violation that led to the incident and $5,000 for failing to notify an inspector.

The court also imposed a 25 percent surcharge on the victim's fine, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.

The incident occurred on January 4, 2023 at a construction site on Dingman Drive in London.

BNE was commissioned to coat and polish concrete floors during the construction project for a new warehouse.

A worker was operating a polishing machine that used an internal combustion engine that burned propane. After the machine had been running for approximately 2.5 hours, the worker began to feel unwell and lost consciousness while leaving the room. The worker sustained a serious injury from carbon monoxide exposure due to the lack of ventilation in the room.

It was found that BNE Concrete Floors & Coatings had failed to provide adequate ventilation at the site where the machine was to be used..

In addition, the Department of Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development was not notified of the incident until six days later and the accident scene was not secured. BNE was also found to have failed to immediately notify an inspector of a serious workplace injury.