The owner of a Thompson auto repair business has been fined $20,000 for a 2015 explosion that killed a worker.
Clarence Jackson, owner of Clarence’s Automatic Transmission & General Repairs Ltd., pleaded guilty May 2 to failing to ensure the safety, health and welfare of a worker under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and failing to develop and implement safe work procedures for welding and allied processes as required by Workplace Safety and Health regulations.
The incident occurred Nov. 11, 2015, when Jackson hired a friend to cut a 55-gallon steel drum into two pieces he intended to use to store car parts. The worker was provided with a handheld grinder to cut the drum. When he began cutting, fumes in the drum ignited and caused an explosion, which killed the worker.
