The company has been fined $79,500
Saputo Dairy Products Canada GP has been fined $79,500 after pleading guilty to workplace safety violations that led to an injury. The fine was imposed by the Provincial Offences Court in Woodstock following an investigation into the incident that occurred on June 4, 2023, at Saputo's facility in Tavistock Ontario.
The incident happened when a worker was attempting to clean waste cheese particles that were stuck in the groove of a conveyor drive roller. The conveyor had been running at the time, and the fixed-in-place guards that were supposed to prevent access to moving parts had been removed to allow for cleaning.
An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development determined the worker would not have been injured had the conveyor been equipped with a guard to protect against the in-running nip hazard. Saputo was found to have violated section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Justice of the Peace Michael Cuthbertson imposed the $79,500 fine on Saputo after the company pleaded guilty to failure to provide the required safety measures. In addition, a 25% victim fine surcharge was applied, which will be credited to a special provincial government that assists victims of crime.
Saputo has not commented publicly on the conviction.
