Worker Hits Wrong Switch, Costs Company Millions

A worker accidentally hit a shut-off switch at a major plastics plant in Canada. What's worse is his blunder will cost the company $11 million in lost profit because it won't be able to fulfill contracts due to the error.

An employee installing a structural steel platform at the Ontario plant of Nova Chemicals, mistakenly activated a process shutdown switch, which halted production and forced two weeks of repairs at the facility.

"The switch is a safety thing so if anyone sees something going wrong they have the opportunity to shut down the plant", said spokesman Greg Wilkinson. "But that's not what happened here. It was not a safety issue. It was simply inadvertent".

Because of the unexpected shutdown, the company declared delays on its products and has launched an investigation into just how the worker hit the button. The spokesman said the company has decided to await the results of its inquiry before making any decision on penalties but showed some sympathy for the worker: "I can't imagine how that feels, but it has got to be very distressing," he said.

The plant is one of Canada's largest plastics facilities.

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