B.C. food processing company charged $34K
Sandel Foods has been fined $34,223 by WorkSafeBC for an incident at it’s Chilliwack, B.C. site.
A worker at this firm's food processing plant was assigned to clean a sort-line conveyor while it was still running. The worker's arm became entangled in exposed and moving machine parts, and the worker sustained serious injuries.
A WorkSafeBC investigation determined that the conveyor was not locked out or sufficiently guarded, that it was part of the firm's work procedures to keep the conveyor running during maintenance, and that the conveyor was not equipped with an emergency stopping device.
In addition, the investigation found that the worker was given neither training nor supervision for cleaning the conveyor. The firm failed to lock out machinery before maintenance work was done, and failed to guard nip points on belt conveyors to prevent contact by workers. The firm also failed to ensure the health and safety of all workers at its workplace.
These were all high-risk violations.
Source: WorkSafeBC
