Veolia Environmental Services has been fined over $200,000 for a 2014 explosion in Sarnia that killed one worker and injured five others.
Ontario Environment Ministry spokesman Gary Wheeler says the company was convicted Thursday under the Environmental Protection Act for altering a dust collection system without an amendment to its certificate of approval.
Justice Mark Hornblower accepted a joint Crown and defence submission for a $175,000 fine. The mandatory victim surcharge brings the total fine to nearly $219,000.
In January, the company and a division manager were found not guilty of criminal negligence.
Doug Miller, whose 37-year-old son Jason was killed in the October 2014 Scott Rd. blast, said at the time that the judgement set a bad precedent for safety in Chemical Valley.
The crown had alleged the company did not cease the metalizing process at the workplace after being warned of hazards by its engineers, and failed to ensure the dust collector was suitable for the process.
Justice Deborah Austin said the court never received evidence on best practices for the process, and couldn't fill in gaps or speculate.
The violent explosion, that originated in the dust collection system outside of the paint shop, blew out a section of cinder block wall and caused part of the roof to collapse.
