The board had stopped where it should have kept moving. It sat there in the Cone Rotator area of the sizing and edge banding machine, and the worker went to clear it, the way anyone would to keep the line moving.
The machine was built to keep people out of that area. It sat inside protective fencing with an interlock and lockout. But a section of that fence had been taken out, and the opening led straight to a nip point that was still turning.
What Happened
On February 20, 2025, a worker at Ridgewood Industries Ltd.'s plant at 3305 Loyalist Street in Cornwall tried to remove an MDF board that had stopped at the Cone Rotator area of a Sizing and Edge Banding Machine. Ridgewood manufactured furniture, and this machine was part of that production.
By design, the machine was protected. It sat inside fencing fitted with an interlock shutdown and lockout, so opening the enclosure would stop the moving parts. That is a proper layered control. But a section of the fencing had been removed, and that opening gave a worker access while the machine was still operational.
The worker used that opening to reach the stuck board and contacted the nip point between the top and bottom cone rotators. The injuries were critical.
The Ministry of Labour investigation found that the nip point was not guarded to prevent access to the moving part. The interlock and lockout meant nothing at the spot where the fence was gone. The hazard was live and reachable.
Ridgewood Industries Ltd., headquartered in Laval, Quebec, pleaded guilty in the Provincial Offences Court in Cornwall. It was convicted under Section 25 of Ontario Regulation 851 (Industrial Establishments) and Section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and fined $50,000 plus a 25% victim fine surcharge. The conviction was registered June 16, 2026.
What the Law Says
Section 25 of Ontario Regulation 851 requires that an in-running nip hazard, or any exposed moving part of a machine that may endanger a worker, be equipped with and guarded by a guard that prevents access to the moving part. Section 25(1)(c) of the OHSA requires an employer to ensure that the prescribed measures are carried out in the workplace.
Basically, what this means is simple: a nip point between two rotating parts has to be guarded so a worker cannot reach it while it turns. A fence around the whole machine is a good control, but only where the fence is actually there. Where the fence is missing, the moving part itself still needs its own guard.
This case is a lesson in defence in depth. The interlock and lockout protected the machine as designed. But when a panel of fencing came out, the deeper guard, the one on the nip point itself, was missing, and the opening became a door to a live hazard. The court held that the nip point should have been guarded regardless. The $50,000 fine reflects a critical injury that the machine's own design was supposed to prevent.
Three Things This Case Teaches Ontario Employers
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Perimeter guarding fails the moment the perimeter is breached. Fencing with an interlock is only a control while it is intact. When a section is removed and not restored, the interlock protects nothing at that opening. Never rely on a single layer. The moving part needs a guard even when the enclosure is supposed to be closed.
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A removed guard is a machine out of service. The fencing was gone, and the machine kept running. That is the failure. Any time a guard or fence panel comes off, the machine it protects should be locked out until it is back in place. Running with the fence open converts a designed-safe machine into an exposed hazard.
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Clearing a jam is where guarding gets tested. Stuck material is the most common reason workers reach into running machines. Write and drill a jam-clearing procedure that requires a full stop and lockout before any hand goes near the mechanism. The board stopping is not the emergency. Reaching for it with the rotators still turning is.
Walk your line and check every enclosure against its drawings. Find every fence panel, gate, and guard that is supposed to be there, and confirm it actually is. Then ask your operators what they do when a board jams at the rotators. What they tell you, and whether the machine is still turning when they reach in, will tell you where your next critical injury is waiting.