The Ontario Ministry of Labour is investigating after a 27-year-old electrician died following a workplace accident at Novelis Inc. on Wednesday.
Plant manager Dennis Brady told Postmedia that the accident occurred just after 2 p.m., when Michah Baerwald, who had been working with colleagues, was killed.
Kingston Fire and Rescue was called to the plant for a technical rescue at about 2:15 p.m. When crews arrived, they performed CPR on Baerwald before he was taken to hospital.
Brady said the Ministry of Labour had been at the plant to investigate the incident, but had left. He said the company was waiting for the ministry’s report while also investigating the incident.
“It was reported a worker was working on a crane when they were exposed to live, electrical parts,” the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development said in a statement. “Two (Labour, Training and Skills Development) inspectors and an engineer attended the scene.”
The ministry said two orders were issued and the investigation was ongoing.
Brady said Baerwald had worked for the company for a little over three years.
“One of the descriptions that was common was that he was a very upbeat person, he was always very willing to help in any way that he could, and very dedicated and hardworking employee,” Brady said. “He was a very strong employee and will be greatly missed.”
Brady also said in a separate statement that the plant had temporarily shut down its operations so counsellors could provide support to employees.
