Widow speaks after millwright Kamal Kumar killed in Richmond Hill foundry accident Anu Rani is mourning her husband, Gamma Foundries millwright Kamal Kumar, who died Aug. 25 in Richmond Hill when the sand mixing machine he was inside was switched on. The Ministry of Labour is still investigating, while safety experts and friends call for attention to lockout rules and pressures on temporary foreign workers. Two weeks after Kamal Kumar was killed at Gamma Foundries in Richmond Hill, his widow, Anu Rani, is speaking out. Her comments came on Sept. 8, 2026, while Ontario’s Ministry of Labour said its investigation into the Aug. 25 workplace death is still ongoing. Rani said through tears from the family’s Brampton home: 'I lost that man who is my whole life. He just gave happiness to everyone, everyone.' Kumar was a millwright at Gamma Foundries, located at 115 Newkirk Rd. , east of Yonge Street between Major Mackenzie Drive East and Elgin Mills Road West. He died when the large sand mixing machine he was inside was switched on. Friend Sam Sharma said Kumar had gone inside the roughly two-storey machine to check a part at about 10:30 a.m. Sharma said Kumar was trying to get information about a replacement part because a contractor was standing by.'He was trying to get information about a replacement part, because he had a contractor standing by next to him,' Sharma said. News of Kumar’s death spread quickly among his friends. Kumar leaves behind his wife, an 11-year-old son named Kiyan, and his mother, whom he supported. Rani has a kidney condition and can only work part-time.She said she worries about the future, and the family has an outstanding application to become permanent residents of Canada. CTV helicopter footage from Aug. 25 showed police, firefighters and Ministry of Labour inspectors at the foundry. A memorial for Kumar was also pictured at the scene.Gamma Foundries president Ryan Bishop said the company is co-operating with the Ministry of Labour’s investigation and is also doing its own work to see whether extra technology could create another level of failsafe.'We’re bringing in a consulting company to see what else we can do better,' Bishop said. Gamma Foundries is not listed on Ontario government websites that describe sanctions or punishments related to workplace safety. The Ministry of Labour said in a statement: 'The investigation is still ongoing. As such, there are no updates at this time.' Ministry figures show deaths in Ontario’s industrial workplaces have fallen from a COVID-19-era high of 48 in 2021-2022 to 28 in 2024-2025. Critical injuries in those workplaces have climbed over the same period from about 1,500 to almost 2,200. Toronto Metropolitan University Professor Emeritus Eric Tucker cautioned that people should not quickly conclude workplaces are safer, noting other studies show incident rates have not changed much in decades.Tucker said Kumar’s death is the kind of accident that has continued despite improvements in policies and technology.'It’s a very old-fashioned type of accident. One that has occurred for decades. Procedures should have been in place to prevent it from occurring by use of what is called a lockout procedure,' he said.'Typically, that would involve a person who is entering into a space like that putting a physical lock on the box with the start button and they would be the only person with a key,' Tucker said. Sharma said Kumar was in Canada on a work permit from India that was tied to his job at Gamma Foundries, which would have put pressure on him to do what was asked even if tired.He said he wants ministry investigators to consider Kumar’s immigration status as a factor, and Tucker said it should be considered.'Many advocates for temporary foreign workers point to the fact that the status creates all kinds of workplace vulnerabilities. So if it’s not being considered I would think of that as an oversight,' Sharma said.