Worker Reaches Into Unguarded Punch Press — Grosnor Industries Fined $50,000

The Worker Reached Into the Machine — What Happens When There Is No Guard Between a Worker and a Shearing Hazard

Let's talk about what happened at Grosnor Industries Inc.'s facility at 375 Rexdale Blvd. in Etobicoke on July 21, 2023. Grosnor produces textile samples for clients in the roofing, flooring, tile and siding industries. On that day, a worker employed by a temporary help agency was performing a die change on a punch press machine — a routine task. At some point during the die change, the worker reached through an unguarded gap to clean debris near the punch press blades. The exposed moving part created a shearing hazard — a danger zone that could crush, cut, or amputate anything that entered it while the machine was in operation. A second worker nearby did not see the first worker's hand in the machine. They activated the punch press. The first worker sustained a critical injury. A Ministry investigation confirmed that the exposed moving part generating the shearing hazard was not equipped with a guard or device to prevent worker access. There was no barrier. Nothing to stop a hand from entering the danger zone. Grosnor Industries Inc. pleaded guilty in the Ontario Provincial Offences Court in Toronto and was fined $50,000 plus a 25% victim fine surcharge.

What the Law Requires

Section 24 of Ontario Regulation 851 (Industrial Establishments) requires that where a machine part, function or process may endanger a worker, it shall be guarded or enclosed by a guard or other device that prevents access to the moving part from any direction. Basically, what this means is simple: if a part of a machine is moving and can hurt someone, it must be guarded. All the time it is in operation. The fact that the worker reached in to clean debris — not during an authorized lockout — points to a second failure: no procedure existed that prevented access to the danger zone during die changes. A guard would have made that access impossible. Without one, access was uncontrolled and the injury was predictable. In the court's view, this was not a freak accident — it was a foreseeable outcome of operating a machine with an unguarded shearing hazard. The conviction and $50,000 fine reflect how seriously the court takes this failure.

What Supervisors Must Do

• Before any die change, cleaning, or adjustment task begins near a punch press, confirm the machine is either properly guarded at the point of operation or fully locked out — there is no middle ground
• Walk the floor and identify every punch press where workers routinely reach near the operating zone; these machines must have point-of-operation guards reviewed immediately
• Never allow cleaning of debris near a punch press blade area while the machine is in an operable state without lockout confirmation
• Ensure all workers performing die changes understand they must never place any part of their body inside the danger zone unless the machine is locked out
• Keep asking: 'Before this worker reaches anywhere near this machine, is the danger zone physically guarded — or is the machine locked out?'

What Employers Must Do

• Conduct a full machine guarding audit of every punch press, press brake, and stamping machine — inventory every exposed moving part and address every unguarded point before the next shift
• Write procedures for every die change, cleaning, and adjustment task that specify the required controls before any work begins — lockout where the guard is removed, guard verification before restart
• Train all operators and maintenance workers on the specific guarding requirements for each press they use and the prohibition on reaching into unguarded danger zones under any circumstances
• Implement a guard removal permit system: guards removed for maintenance must be documented, authorized, and reinstated before the machine returns to operation
• Require supervisors to inspect all press guarding at the start of each shift before production begins
• Establish an out-of-service rule: any missing or damaged guard requires the machine to be taken out of service until the guard is reinstated — not tagged for future repair while production continues

How to Use This Case in Your Workplace

This case is a valuable safety conversation starter. Use it during toolbox talks on any floor with punch presses or stamping equipment, machine guarding audits, and training sessions for new workers on the prohibition against reaching near operating press equipment. Walk your team through the floor after reviewing this case. Ask: 'For every punch press on this floor, can a worker's hand reach the blade area while the machine is in an operable state?' 'What is the procedure when a worker needs to clean debris from near the press blades?' 'Is every guard on every press confirmed in place at the start of this shift?' This case reinforces a simple message: a punch press with an unguarded shearing hazard is a machine waiting to injure the next worker who gets close enough.