Inquest announced into death of man injured at Cambridge mining site

An inquest will be held into the death of a man who was injured at a Cambridge mining site.

Joseph Horn was 57-years-old when he died on Dec. 8, 2017. The inquest will examine the circumstances leading up to his injury, and the jury may make recommendations on how to prevent further deaths.

A date has not yet been set for the start of the inquest.

Waynco Limited, a Cambridge company, was fined $110,000 after a worker was fatally injured. The company produces aggregate for use in construction projects.

On the day Horn died, a worker was using a crusher to break down pieces of aggregate while another worker operated a loader.

According to court documents, the aggregate occasionally has to be moved manually to prevent the machine from jamming.

As the loader approached the grizzly deck, the worker operating the loader saw that it wasn’t properly closed, preventing access by the loader.

That’s when the body of the crusher operator was found under the grizzly deck.

The worker died from their injuries.

The Ministry of Labour investigated the incident and determined the crusher had an unguarded pinch point.

A provincial court determined Waynco failed to ensure the machine was “stopped, all hydraulic, pneumatic or gravity-stored energy was dissipated or contained, and that energy isolating devices were engaged, locked and tagged.”

The company pleaded guilty to the charges.