UPDATED: Canadian Electrocoating accident results in fatality
Sgt. Matthew D’Asti speaks to the media outside Canadian Electric Coating on Sept. 19, where a 55-year-old-woman has died. Photo by Jeff Gravel
The Ministry of Labour is investigating the death of a 55-year-old woman which occurred last Friday while she was working at Canadian Electrocoating Ltd. on Prince Road.
Phuong Thang had a 12-year-old daughter and was married to Don Duong, a professional chef.
The Ministry’s investigation has revealed that one of Thang’s co-workers accidentally bumped a pile of crates while driving a fork lift, which then toppled onto her, crushing her.
The Ministry has since released a stop work order, an order for the paint line area of the factory where Thang worked to be made safe and an order for an inspection of the fork lift involved in the accident. The work stop order was lifted when materials were moved out of the paint line “with all safeguards and precautions so as not to endanger the safety of any worker.”
On the day of the accident, Windsor Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Matthew D’Asti met with media just outside the factory.
“I can’t divulge the details of the investigation at this point,” D’Asti said. “It will all be turned over to the Ministry [of Labour] . . . We understand that they are en route and they’ll be taking over the investigation.”
Ministry spokesperson Bruce Skeaff released a document containing summaries of all inquiries made into C. E. C. by the Ministry over the past four years.
In 2013, a welding unit flooded onto electrical wires and an unrelated accident saw a worker’s hand “lacerated” while he or she was working with sheet metal. The year before, multiple workers suffered headaches, dizziness, nausea and nosebleeds after prolonged exposure to paint fumes. In 2011, a worker fell from a robotic cell, injuring his or her arm.
Since the release of the document, other local experiences dealing with unsafe work conditions have been surfacing through social media.
