A Thorndale manufacturer has been hit with a hefty fine in the 2013 death of one of its employees.
Tony Vandenberg, 52, of Woodstock was electrocuted July 19, 2013 while working on a machine at Ideal Pipe.
The company, which manufactures high density polyethylene, pleaded guilty in provincial court Thursday and was fined $110,000.
Vandenberg was found unresponsive on an elevated forklift platform with exposed and burnt prongs of a plug from a machine he was working on in his hand. He was airlifted to London hospital, where he later died.
An investigation into the incident found Vandenberg had been provided generic lock-out training but had not been trained how to specifically lock out the machine he was working on at the time of the incident.
The company admitted to failing to ensure that the controls of the forklift were attended to and operated by another worker while a worker was on the elevated platform.
In addition to the fine, the company is required to pay a 25% victim fine surcharge. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.