Who was sanctioned, and for what?

In June 2022, a gear oil tank overflowed at the steelworks in Sault Ste. Marie; an estimated 1,000 to 1,250 litres of oil entered the St. Marys River, harmful to fish and migratory birds. The company pleaded guilty to two counts and is paying 1.2 million CAD into the Environmental Damages Fund; its name is listed in the Environmental Offenders Registry.

Authority / court

Ontario Court of Justice, Sault Ste. Marie (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Fisheries Act, Subsection 36(3); Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, Subsection 5.1(1)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty plea.

Published

11 Sep 2026

Original amount 1,200,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 10 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In February 2025, a pile of scrap collapsed on a father and his son at the metal recycler's site while an excavator had been working near them for around 20 minutes; one of them suffered a broken leg. Pedestrians were separated neither from machinery nor from unstable stockpiles, even though there had been a near miss involving the same excavator shortly before. Fine of £40,000 plus £6,181 costs. According to the annual accounts filed with the UK companies register for financial year 2025, the company had around 18 employees.

Authority / court

Grimsby Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 3(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

Under 50

Mitigating circumstances

After the accident, a separate unloading zone, signage, supervised procedures and fenced-off walkways were introduced.

Published

2 Sep 2026

Original amount 40,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 1 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

Despite improvement notices from September 2024 and February 2025, the manufacturer of skips and metal containers failed to implement any measures against carcinogenic welding fume (mild steel) – with neither extraction nor respiratory protection; in addition, there was no health surveillance for hearing for employees exposed to noise. Fine of £30,000 plus costs. According to the annual accounts filed with the UK companies register for financial year 2024, the company had around 17 employees.

Authority / court

Warrington Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 33(1)(g) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Nichtbefolgung von Improvement Notices)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

Under 50

Repeat case

yes

Published

18 Jun 2026

Original amount 30,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 16 Jun 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order: copper and copper products from Serbia Zijin Copper D.O.O. (Serbia) are being detained at all US ports of entry because there are indications of forced labour (ILO indicators including withholding of wages, intimidation, restriction of movement and retention of identity documents).

Authority / court

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Area of law

Supply chain and human rights · Forced and child labour

Legal basis

19 U.S.C. § 1307 (Tariff Act of 1930, Section 307)

Action

Order

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

16 Jun 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Two Canadian steel companies allegedly declared flat-rolled steel from China, Indonesia, Italy, Turkey and Vietnam to US customs as being of Canadian or US origin from May 2019 to January 2025. The settlement of 19 million USD (a joint payment with a further settling party) resolves the lawsuit of a customs broker, who receives around 3.61 million USD.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, und U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Michigan

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Customs

Legal basis

False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 ff. (Vergleich; Haftung nicht festgestellt)

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Liability of senior managers

Measures against individuals are not reported here.

Published

20 May 2026

Original amount 19,000,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 20 May 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

From May 2014 to May 2022, acidic effluent, effluent with elevated zinc, nickel or suspended solids content, and effluent that was acutely lethal to fish entered fish-bearing waters from the Mont-Wright mining complex and the Fire Lake mine in the Fermont region. The company pleaded guilty to 100 counts; the fine of 100 million CAD goes almost entirely to the Environmental Damages Fund, and an action plan on wastewater management must also be submitted by mid-February 2027.

Authority / court

Court of Québec (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Fisheries Act, Subsection 36(3)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

15 May 2026

Original amount 100,000,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 15 May 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

From July 2011 to June 2014, the companies imported more than 2.2 million Chinese aluminium extrusions that had merely been spot-welded into “pallets”, and declared them as finished goods not subject to anti-dumping and countervailing duties – there were never any buyers for the pallets. A jury had already convicted the companies in 2021 of, among other things, conspiracy to defraud the United States; the civil settlement of 549.5 million USD resolves several whistleblower lawsuits.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, und U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of California

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Customs

Legal basis

False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 ff. (zivilrechtlicher Vergleich)

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Culpability

intentional

Published

12 May 2026

Original amount 549,500,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 12 May 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The metal fabrication companies allegedly knowingly overcharged the Air Force and the Navy for welding tables for the modernisation of a large welding facility; the project was financed in part with funds under the Defense Production Act. The settlement under the False Claims Act amounts to 10.5 million USD (a joint payment with a further settling party); a former employee received 1,863,750 USD as a whistleblower.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Justice (Civil Division) / USAO District of South Carolina

Area of law

Other

Legal basis

False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 ff.)

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Liability of senior managers

Measures against individuals are not reported here.

Published

17 Mar 2026

Original amount 10,500,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Mar 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

According to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM), the top holding company of a mining, oil and gold group, which was based in the Netherlands from 2010 to 2017, participated together with others in bribing public officials of the DR Congo in order to obtain licences for cobalt and copper mines. On 6 March 2026, the OM issued a strafbeschikking (prosecutorial penalty order) imposing a fine of 25.8 million EUR, which Fleurette accepted.

Authority / court

Openbaar Ministerie (OM); Ermittlungen FIOD Anti-Corruptie Centrum

Area of law

Bribery and corruption · Bribery of public officials

Legal basis

Buitenlandse ambtelijke omkoping (Wetboek van Strafrecht); OM-strafbeschikking

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Culpability

intentional

Published

10 Mar 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In June 2025, an employee in San Jose lost a finger on a press brake without guarding – identical to an accident in June 2024 for which the business had already been fined $43,500. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) imposed $212,850 (including a wilful repeat violation); the employer appealed.

Authority / court

California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

California Code of Regulations, Title 8 (Maschinenschutz)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

under appeal

Sector

Steel and metals

Culpability

intentional

Repeat case

yes

Published

26 Feb 2026

Original amount 212,850 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 26 Feb 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In December 2023, a machinist was caught by a lathe and fatally injured while finishing a rotating workpiece with emery cloth. The forge had not prohibited manual work with emery cloth, had not prevented access to moving parts and had not carried out a risk assessment; the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 750,000 GBP plus 38,314 GBP in costs. According to the annual accounts filed with the UK companies register for financial year 2025, the company had around 136 employees.

Authority / court

Health and Safety Executive (Walsall Magistrates' Court)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2(1)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

50 to 249

Published

18 Feb 2026

Original amount 750,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 Feb 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

In 2021 a 45-year-old employee in Penistone became entangled in an unguarded wire drawing and recoiling machine and died. There was no risk assessment, no safe system of work, no fixed guards or interlocks and no formal training, only verbal instruction; after the accident eight prohibition notices were served. Fine of 140,000 GBP plus 6,652 GBP in costs for the business, which had 17 employees according to its annual accounts.

Authority / court

Sheffield Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

Under 50

Mitigating circumstances

Early guilty plea

Published

23 Jan 2026

Original amount 140,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Jan 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

From 2004 to June 2024, foundries coordinated their pricing strategies via the association Assofond: they exchanged sensitive information and developed joint indexation mechanisms ("Assofond indicators") in order to push through price increases including margins. The AGCM imposed fines of 70 million EUR (maximum around 600 million EUR), taking the crisis in the sector into account as a mitigating factor. Addressees: C2MAC Group, Fonderia Corrà, Fonderie De Riccardis, Fonderie Guido Glisenti/Lead Time, Pilenga Baldassarre/E.F. Group, Fonderie Mora Gavardo/Camozzi Group, Zanardi Fonderie, VDP Fonderia, Fonderie Ariotti, Ironcastings, Fonderia Zardo, ZML Industries/Cividale, Assofond.

Authority / court

Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM)

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Art. 101 AEUV

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

The severe crisis in the foundry sector was taken into account in setting the fines

Published

31 Dec 2025

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The distributor of tungsten carbide products allegedly transshipped Chinese goods via Taiwan and declared them as Taiwanese (2020–2024), misclassified products (2015–2024) and distributed goods without country-of-origin marking. The settlement of 54.4 million USD resolves a whistleblower lawsuit; the whistleblower receives around 9.75 million USD.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, und U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Michigan

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Customs

Legal basis

False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 ff. (Vergleich; Haftung nicht festgestellt)

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

18 Dec 2025

Original amount 54,400,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 Dec 2025.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The metal recycler in Val-des-Sources had received an environmental protection compliance order to dispose of and destroy PCB-contaminated equipment. At a follow-up inspection in May 2024, the equipment was still on the site; the company pleaded guilty under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and was fined 40,000 CAD.

Authority / court

Court of Québec (Anklage: Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

18 Dec 2025

Original amount 40,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Dec 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf) fined Lech-Stahlwerke GmbH 21 million EUR for unlawful price fixing and the exchange of competitively sensitive information. This followed a negotiated agreement setting a fine range of 20 to 30 million EUR, after which the company limited its objection against the Bundeskartellamt's (Federal Cartel Office) fining decision of 27 January 2021 to the penalty; the proceedings against BGH Edelstahlwerke GmbH continue separately.

Authority / court

Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf, 1. Kartellsenat (Urteil nach Einspruch gegen Bußgeldbescheid des Bundeskartellamts)

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Kartellordnungswidrigkeit (Preisabsprachen, Informationsaustausch); Az. V-1 OWi OLG 1/24 (GWB)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

Negotiated agreement with the objection limited to the penalty; the court found an unlawful delay of one year and seven months in the authority's intermediate procedure.

Published

19 Dec 2025

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

While feeding a tube polishing machine that had no guarding and defective rollers, an employee's hand was drawn into the machine; one finger was partially severed and two others were crushed. The business had not prevented access to dangerous machine parts. Fine of £24,000 plus costs. According to the annual accounts filed with the UK companies register for financial year 2025, the company had around 16 employees.

Authority / court

Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Regulation 11(1) Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

Under 50

Published

8 Dec 2025

Original amount 24,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 5 Dec 2025.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

In 2023 a worker was kneeling in a casting mould when the hydraulic launder arm, weighing around 1.5 tonnes, fell on him as a result of hydraulic failure; he was trapped for more than 20 minutes and has not been able to return to work since. The safety bar was not fit for purpose and the risk of the arm falling had never been assessed; fine of 300,000 GBP plus 8,301 GBP in costs. According to its 2025 annual accounts, the plant had an average of 345 employees.

Authority / court

Cannock Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

250 to 999

Published

20 Oct 2025

Original amount 300,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 13 Oct 2025.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

The Sanctions Committee of the FSMA (Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority) found that Nyrstar NV had given false or misleading signals about its share through information on its liquidity position (market manipulation) and had not informed the FSMA immediately after delaying the disclosure of inside information. For both infringements it imposed a fine of 80,000 EUR on the company; it considered further allegations not proven.

Authority / court

Autoriteit voor Financiële Diensten en Markten / Autorité des services et marchés financiers (FSMA) – Sanctiecommissie

Area of law

Capital markets and financial supervision · Market abuse and insider dealing

Legal basis

Art. 15 i. V. m. Art. 12 Abs. 1 lit. c und Art. 17 Abs. 4 Unterabs. 3 Verordnung (EU) Nr. 596/2014 (MAR); Art. 4 Abs. 2 Durchführungsverordnung (EU) 2016/1055; Art. 36 § 2 und 72 § 3 Gesetz vom 2. August 2002

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

The limited financial capacity, the absence of previous infringements and cooperation with the FSMA were taken into account.

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

When restarting a hardening furnace (hydrogen and oil quench bath) that had been shut down for weeks, residual vapours ignited because too much time elapsed between the nitrogen purge and ignition; two workers were seriously injured. Only one was wearing flame-resistant clothing; the other had not been provided with any. Fine of CA$144,000 plus victim fine surcharge.

Authority / court

Ontario Court of Justice Brampton (Ermittlung: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 25(2)(h) Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty plea.

Published

21 Aug 2025

Original amount 144,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 24 Jul 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In 2023, two employees of the forge in Niagara Falls removed a spacer from a press for the first time; instead of the guide bolts prescribed in the manual, they used makeshift steel bolts and left the piston assembly, weighing around 1.25 t, hanging from the crane. The load swung out, and a worker fell to the ground with it and died. The company had not informed the employees of the dangers of deviating from the operating manual; fine of CA$220,000 plus victim fine surcharge.

Authority / court

Provincial Offences Court Welland (Ermittlung: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 25(2)(d) Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty plea.

Published

20 Jun 2025

Original amount 220,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 May 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

After a 16-year-old lost a thumb tip on a forming machine at metal components maker Fostermation in Meadville (Pennsylvania) in May 2024, the Wage and Hour Division and OSHA found breaches of child labour regulations and six serious and one other health and safety violation, including missing machine guards and deficient lockout/tagout procedures. The company paid 50,192 USD in civil money penalties for the child labour violations and 14,700 USD under a settlement with OSHA, a total of 64,892 USD. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division (WHD) und Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Bundesrechtliche Kinderarbeitsvorschriften (Vollzug durch die Wage and Hour Division); OSHA-Standards zu Maschinenschutz und Lockout/Tagout

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

12 May 2025

Original amount 64,892 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 12 May 2025.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

Cadia Holdings Pty Ltd, a Newmont Mining company (formerly Newcrest Mining), was sentenced by the Land and Environment Court of NSW after pleading guilty to three offences under s 128(1)(b) of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, because poorly operated mine exhaust fans exceeded the concentration limit for solid particles three times between November 2021 and May 2023. The court imposed fines totalling 350,000 AUD and ordered a payment of 61,500 AUD to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) for a new dust monitor in the Rural Air Quality Monitoring Network; in addition, the company must pay the EPA's costs and publish notices in three newspapers.

Authority / court

NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA NSW)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) s 128(1)(b); Zahlungsanordnung nach s 250(1)(e)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Repeat case

no

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity (25% discount); no prior convictions, good character and a low risk of reoffending (further 5% discount).

Published

2 Apr 2025

Original amount 350,000 AUD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 31 Mar 2025.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf) fined OTTO FUCHS Beteiligungen KG 30 million EUR because two of its authorised officers had, twice a year from October 2010 to November 2015, exchanged information on cost and price components with other aluminium forges in the 'Aluminium Forging Group', for example on customers' discount demands and increased storage costs. The amount covers only the fine imposed on the company.

Authority / court

Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf, 6. Kartellsenat (Kartellbußgeldverfahren)

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Kartellordnungswidrigkeit (Informationsaustausch) und Verletzung der Aufsichtspflicht; Az. V-6 Kart 2/21 OWi

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

The exchange was often vague and concerned price components with a small share of costs, so the potential for profit and damage was low; negotiating pressure between aluminium suppliers and the automotive industry. Turnover related to the offence of more than 1 billion EUR and group turnover of around 3.4 billion EUR a year counted against the company.

Published

5 Mar 2025

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

In 110 imports via a customs agency in Ferrara, two companies are alleged to have declared stainless steel coils from China as being of South Korean origin, thereby evading almost 2.4 million EUR in additional duty under the 2019 EU anti-dumping regulation; 60 further imports by one of the companies using the same method involve around 950,000 EUR. At the request of the Bologna office of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), assets totalling more than 3.3 million EUR were frozen; searches took place in Ferrara, Varese, Milan and La Spezia.

Authority / court

Europäische Staatsanwaltschaft (EPPO), Büro Bologna

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Customs

Legal basis

EU-Antidumpingverordnung von 2019 (Edelstahlcoils aus China); Hinterziehung von Einfuhrzöllen

Action

Order

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Liability of senior managers

Those responsible at the companies are alleged to have certified the South Korean origin.

Published

10 Feb 2025

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

From March 2021, a machinery manufacturer from the Rhein-Neckar district is alleged to have declared steel products worth more than 2.9 million EUR as being of British origin in more than 100 customs clearances, although the steel came from India and was only imported via the UK; correctly, 25% higher import duties would have been payable. In December 2024, the Stuttgart customs investigation office (Zollfahndungsamt Stuttgart), acting on behalf of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), searched business premises in Germany and at the British seller; the damage is estimated at several hundred thousand euros.

Authority / court

Zollfahndungsamt Stuttgart im Auftrag der Europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft (EPPO)

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Customs

Legal basis

Verdacht der Steuerhinterziehung (Einfuhrabgaben nach EU-Zollrecht, falsche Ursprungsangaben)

Action

Incident without known action

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

3 Feb 2025

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The U.S. Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) listed the mining company from Kizilsu Prefecture on two grounds: for working with the Xinjiang government on the recruitment and transfer of persecuted groups, and for sourcing material from Xinjiang. The company's goods are therefore presumed to have been produced with forced labour on import into the US unless the importer rebuts this.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force)

Area of law

Supply chain and human rights · Forced and child labour

Legal basis

Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Section 2(d)(2)(B)(ii) und (v)

Action

Order

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

15 Jan 2025

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

At the Lac Tio mine near Havre-Saint-Pierre, there were nickel exceedances in 2023 after severed power cables disabled the effluent treatment, untreated acidic discharges in the summer, and a failure to take samples after an unauthorised discharge. The company pleaded guilty to eight counts and is paying 2 million CAD into the Environmental Damages Fund.

Authority / court

Court of Québec (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Fisheries Act, Subsection 36(3); Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty plea.

Published

14 Jan 2025

Original amount 2,000,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 13 Jan 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In January 2024, insecurely stacked steel pipes weighing around 900 kg fell at the plant in Bay Saint Louis (Mississippi); a 25-year-old died and a 20-year-old lost both legs. In a settlement with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the manufacturer of large steel pipes is paying $442,815 and must implement external safety consultants, monthly audits, safety professionals on every shift and three years of accident reporting; there had been 46 OSHA citations in five years.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970; 29 CFR 1910 (Maschinenschutz, Absturzsicherung, brennbarer Staub u. a.)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

250 to 999

Repeat case

yes

Published

22 Nov 2024

Original amount 442,815 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Nov 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

During inspections of the Mont-Wright mining complex in June 2022, environmental inspectors requested documents on compliance with effluent regulations; the company refused to hand over some of them until September 2022. The court imposed 100,000 CAD for obstructing the inspection and ordered the documents to be produced (separate proceedings alongside the later fine of 100 million CAD).

Authority / court

Court of Québec (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Fisheries Act, Section 62 (Behinderung von Kontrollbeamten); Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Culpability

intentional

Published

19 Nov 2024

Original amount 100,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 Nov 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

In November 2020 a rack loaded with around nine tonnes of steel collapsed at the company's steel store in Wigram (Christchurch), killing a storeman; the racks were neither braced nor fixed to the floor, were not inspected regularly and had been built without engineering input. On 1 November 2024 the Christchurch District Court imposed a fine of 330,000 NZD (starting point 600,000 NZD) and 100,000 NZD in reparation for emotional harm; costs of 17,507.39 NZD were added.

Authority / court

Christchurch District Court (Anklage: WorkSafe New Zealand)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, ss 36(1)(a), 48(1), 48(2)(c)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Repeat case

no

Mitigating circumstances

Reductions for cooperation (5%), remorse including payments already made to the family (10%), willingness to pay reparation (10%), guilty plea (15%) and no previous convictions in 43 years of trading (5%).

Published

11 Nov 2024

Original amount 330,000 NZD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 1 Nov 2024.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The steelworks on Lake Michigan allegedly emitted excessive particulate matter and hazardous air pollutants when charging the basic oxygen furnaces and during overflows of molten material. Under the settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company is paying 248,396 USD and must charge more slowly, improve extraction and monitoring, and introduce video recording and reporting to the EPA.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

27 Aug 2024

Original amount 248,396 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 27 Aug 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 27 Aug 2026 · Direct link

The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force chaired by the US Department of Homeland Security added a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of magnesium fertiliser and magnesium alloys to the UFLPA Entity List because the US government has reasonable cause to believe that it sources magnesium from the Xinjiang region. Its goods are therefore subject to the rebuttable presumption that they were made with forced labour and may not be imported into the United States.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force)

Area of law

Supply chain and human rights · Forced and child labour

Legal basis

Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Sec. 2(d)(2)(B)(v) und Sec. 3(a); 19 U.S.C. 1307

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

9 Aug 2024

Checked against the official source on 8 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 9 Aug 2026 · Direct link

The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force chaired by the US Department of Homeland Security added a Xinjiang-based mining company (non-ferrous metals) to the UFLPA Entity List because the US government has reasonable cause to believe that it works with the Xinjiang regional government to recruit, transport and receive Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and members of other persecuted groups. Its goods are therefore presumed to have been made with forced labour and are barred from import into the United States unless the presumption is rebutted.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force)

Area of law

Supply chain and human rights · Forced and child labour

Legal basis

Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Sec. 2(d)(2)(B)(ii) und Sec. 3(a); 19 U.S.C. 1307

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

9 Aug 2024

Checked against the official source on 8 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 9 Aug 2026 · Direct link

The group failed to take all reasonable organisational precautions to prevent the bribery of foreign public officials by a business partner in connection with the acquisition of minority stakes in two mining companies in the DR Congo in 2011. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (Bundesanwaltschaft, BA) issued a summary penalty order (Strafbefehl) imposing a fine of 2 million CHF and a compensatory claim of 150 million USD (amount converted at the ECB rate of 5 August 2024: 152,357,266 USD in total); further matters from 2007–2017 were discontinued.

Authority / court

Bundesanwaltschaft (BA)

Area of law

Bribery and corruption · Bribery of public officials

Legal basis

Art. 102 Abs. 2 StGB (Unternehmensverantwortlichkeit) i. V. m. Bestechung fremder Amtsträger; Strafbefehl

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Employees

10,000 or more

Culpability

intentional

Published

5 Aug 2024

Original amount 152,357,266 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 5 Aug 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 5 Aug 2026 · Direct link

The Gippsland steel processor (since renamed) was fined a total of 92,000 AUD (20,000, 32,000 and 40,000 AUD) by the Magistrates' Court in Latrobe after pleading guilty to three charges, and must also pay 15,836 AUD in costs. Between November 2020 and February 2023, three workers suffered serious hand injuries on machines used to bend and roll steel. Among other things, there was no additional activation safeguard besides the foot pedal, no supervision of an inexperienced operator and no working emergency stops and lockouts.

Authority / court

WorkSafe Victoria

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic): sichere Anlagen, Aufsicht, sichere Arbeitssysteme

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty plea.

Published

1 Aug 2024

Original amount 92,000 AUD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Jul 2024.

Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 23 Jul 2026 · Direct link

A coal worker working alone at the company's steelworks was presumably applying belt dressing spray between the running belt and the head pulley when he was fatally caught; the head section of the conveyor was not guarded, and there was no safe method for applying the spray while the belt was running. Fine of CA$200,000 plus victim fine surcharge.

Authority / court

Ontario Court of Justice Hamilton (Ermittlung: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 25(1)(c) Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario) i. V. m. s. 196(2)(a) O. Reg. 854 (Mines and Mining Plants)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty plea; subsequently improved rules on lone working and machine guarding across the entire operation.

Published

6 Mar 2024

Original amount 200,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 26 Feb 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 26 Feb 2026 · Direct link

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), inspectors responding to a complaint found at a family-run steel fabrication business in New Jersey, among other things, missing medical evaluations for respirator users, uninspected overhead cranes, incorrectly used welding screens and missing chemical hazard training; according to OSHA, a safety consultant had identified the deficiencies months earlier. OSHA proposed penalties of $348,683 (4 violations classified as wilful, 7 as serious); the violations are alleged, and the company has contested the citations.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

29 CFR 1910.134, 1910.179, 1910.1200 u. a.

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

under appeal

Sector

Steel and metals

Culpability

intentional

Published

20 Feb 2024

Original amount 348,683 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 20 Feb 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 5 · Company name anonymised since 20 Feb 2026 · Direct link

At one site in Hamilton the scrap metal recycler installed a new metal shear without applying for the required amendment to its environmental approval; this came to light after noise complaints. At a second site explosions occurred in the automotive shredder despite a ministry order because explosive materials had not been removed, and two explosions were not reported. The court convicted the company of five offences under the Environmental Protection Act and fined it CAD 225,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of CAD 56,250.

Authority / court

Gericht in Hamilton (Ermittlung und Anklage: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Environmental Protection Act (Ontario), RSO 1990, c E.19 – Betrieb einer Anlage ohne Genehmigung und Nichtbefolgung einer Ministeriumsanordnung

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

12 Apr 2024

Original amount 225,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 15 Feb 2024.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 15 Feb 2026 · Direct link