Toronto, ON – Peton Distributors ULC, a distribution warehouse for Pet Valu stores, was fined $70,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.
On March 29, 2010, at the Peton warehouse on Martin Grove Rd. in Toronto, a worker was loading a skid with items for an order. The worker was standing in front of the skid when a pallet truck carrying another skid collided with the worker. The worker’s ankle was crushed between the two skids.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the load on the pallet truck was too high for its driver to properly see past. This obscured the driver’s view of where the truck was going, and of the injured worker who was in that path.
Peton Distributors ULC pleaded guilty to failing to take the reasonable precaution of requiring workers to stack items on a pallet truck in a way that allows for a clear view of the truck’s path of travel.
The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Jerry Rosenfield. 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.