Property Management Company Fined For Elevator Alteration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Oshawa, ON, April 25, 2006) - An Oshawa Ontario property management company has plead guilty to one count of putting into service a licenced elevating device to which a major alteration had been made, without it first being inspected by a provincial inspector.
Park Lane II Inc. of Oshawa, Ontario, was fined $10,000 by the Ontario Court of Justice in Whitby for safety violations under the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 (the Act) and regulations. Justice of the Peace Robert Boyshyn presided over the case.
Park Lane II Inc., a small to medium size company with no previous convictions under the Act, must also pay an additional victims surcharge of $2,500.
In late January 2004, an inspector with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) determined that a major alteration had been made to the passenger elevator located at 300 Mary Street North, in Oshawa, a four-story residential apartment building owned by Park Lane II Inc.
The investigation determined that between the period of January 7 to January 29, 2004 the alteration had been made to the passenger elevator in the building without it being inspected for safety before being put into service, contrary to the Act.
“We believe the penalty imposed by the court is fair and appropriate given the circumstances of this case,” said Michael Balogh, Assistant General Counsel for TSSA. The maximum fine for corporate defendants under the Act and regulations is $1 million.
Bringing charges against companies for using unapproved or unlicensed equipment, or for failing to follow proper procedures and regulations, is part of TSSA’s safety mandate.
TSSA is an innovative, self-funded, non-government organization focused on delivering public safety services. It provides not-for-profit regulatory safety services in industry sectors such as amusement devices, boilers and pressure vessels, elevating devices, natural gas, petroleum, propane fuels and equipment, operating engineers, and upholstered and stuffed articles.
The corporation’s wide range of regulated and discretionary consultancy safety services include public education and consumer information, training and certification, licensing and registration, engineering design review, inspection, investigations, safety management consultation, and enforcement and prosecution activities. The corporation’s vision is to be the world leader in public safety services.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Ima Kalos, Communications Advisor, TSSA
Telephone: (416) 734-TSSA (8772) or 1-877-682-8772
Email: media@tssa.org
For more information about the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, please visit our web site at www.tssa.org
