RYAM has been fined a quarter-million dollars over a fatal incident at its Chapleau mill.
Ontario's Ministry of Labour says Rayonier AM Canada Industries was fined after pleading guilty to failing as an employer to ensure that required measures and procedures were carried out in a workplace, specifically that a vehicle left unattended should be immobilized and secured against accidental movement.
That charge stems from an incident at the Chapleau softwood lumber mill on May 25th, 2018, involving a worker tasked with removing bundles of wood from the kiln and placing them in the yard - while there was no eyewitness, the Ministry says it's believed the worker had reversed the loader after placing a load in the yard, then got out to place three "crossers" - small pieces of wood - on that pile, to create space before another bundle was placed on top of it.
The Ministry believes the worker was in the process of placing a third crosser when the loader rolled forward, pinning them between the machine and the wood bundle - the worker subsequently died from their injuries.
Investigation revealed no mechanical defects in the loader's braking system, though it did find a brake actuator had been modified - making the parking brake easier to release - and the Ministry investigation further determined the loader's forks hadn't been securely lowered to the ground, while the machine was parked on uneven ground sloped toward the bundle, with no wheel chocks applied to the wheels, leading to the charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Rayonier - or Ryam Lumber - has also been ordered to pay a 25% victim fine surcharge, which goes to a special fund to assist victims of crime.