The death of a 51-year-old man who was hit by a dead tree stump while doing logging work near Port Elgin has led to a $10,000 fine.

Mark Fritz was killed in September 2015 while working at a woodlot on Concession 2 in Saugeen Shores, west of Highway 21.

On Thursday, the contractor who had employed Fritz pleaded guilty to violating Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The contractor – William Witter of Hanover – was then fined $10,000.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Fritz was cutting limbs off a tree that had just been cut down when he was hit with the stump – also known as a chicot – which had been left standing, causing fatal injuries.

Ontario law mandates that all chicots must be on the ground before any more trees are taken down.