The Incident
In April 2024, a worker at Pigments Services Canada, a paint manufacturer in Mississauga, Ontario, was fatally injured while operating a paint mixing machine. The exact circumstances of the death were investigated by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
In October 2025, the company was fined $150,000 for the workplace safety violation that led to the worker's death.
What Went Wrong
Paint manufacturing involves numerous hazardous materials, including flammable solvents, toxic pigments, and reactive chemicals. Paint mixing machines operate under conditions that can create explosive atmospheres when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released.
The fatal injury occurred during the operation of mixing equipment, suggesting either a mechanical failure, inadequate guarding, or improper procedures when working with hazardous materials.
How WHMIS Training Could Have Helped
Paint manufacturing is one of the most hazard-dense industries in Canada:
Flame Pictogram: Paint products and their components frequently carry the flame pictogram, indicating flammability. Workers must understand ignition sources, flash points, and the explosive limits of the vapours they work with.
Health Hazard Pictogram: Many paint pigments and solvents are classified as causing serious health effects including organ damage, respiratory sensitization, and carcinogenicity. The health hazard pictogram signals these long-term risks.
SDS Section 7 — Handling and Storage: Proper handling procedures for flammable and toxic paint components are detailed in every SDS. WHMIS training ensures workers follow these procedures rather than taking shortcuts.
SDS Section 9 — Physical and Chemical Properties: Understanding flash points, vapour pressures, and explosive limits is critical in paint manufacturing. WHMIS training teaches workers how to find and interpret this information.
Physical Hazards: WHMIS covers not just chemical hazards but also physical hazards associated with the equipment used to handle hazardous materials. Proper machine guarding and lockout/tagout procedures are reinforced through hazard awareness training.
Paint manufacturing combines flammable solvents, toxic pigments, and heavy machinery. Without comprehensive WHMIS training, every shift is a gamble with workers' lives.
Source: CBC News, October 27, 2025