Auto company fined $85K after employee dies in workplace accident

Ruggieri Brothers Automotive company has been sued for $85,000 after a worker died replacing an air spring in a dump truck. Ruggieri Brothers agreed on a guilty plea, in a New Market courthouse.

The worker was given the task to inspect a dump truck. One of the deficiencies found was a rear driver side airbag shock absorber (or air spring) was leaking air.

On May 25, 2018, the part was provided to the worker for installation. While the bag was being inflated with compressed air, it exploded firing projectiles.

The worker was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. The Ruggieri Brothers reported the worker had been trained to perform the safety inspection “but failed to provide the proper paperwork or a specific recollection of when the training would’ve occurred”.

The company was charged under section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.