Worker came into contact with blade of table saw
Manitoba employer Aikens Lake Lodge Limited has been fined a total of $20,000 after one worker was injured in the workplace.
The incident happened on July 20, 2022, when a worker was operating a table saw without a safeguard.
The worker came into contact with the blade, leading to an injury that required amputation of their thumb.
On Nov. 12, 2024, Aikens Lake Lodge Limited pleaded guilty to contravening Section 16.5(1)(b) of the Workplace Safety and Health Act, namely ensuring a machine has safeguards on it to prevent a worker from coming into contact with points of the machine at which material is cut, shaped or bored.
The courts imposed a fine of $18,000 on the employer.
Aikens was also tasked to pay $2,000 to be paid under Section 55.1(1) for education purposes.
“Manitoba Labour and Immigration is reminding employers to ensure machines are equipped with safeguards after an employer was prosecuted under the Workplace Safety and Health Act,” according to the Manitoba government.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) noted that the CSA standard Z432 Safeguarding of machinery defines safeguarding as “… protective measures consisting of the use of specific technical means, called safeguards (guards, protective devices), to protect workers from hazards that cannot be reasonably removed or sufficiently limited by design.”
CCOHS noted that the selection of safeguards should always meet principles of safe design and the hierarchy of control.
Some examples based on the hierarchy of control include:
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Control Method |
Examples include: |
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Elimination - remove the hazard from the workplace |
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Substitution - replace hazardous materials or machines with less hazardous ones |
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Engineering Controls |
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Systems that increase awareness of potential hazards |
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Administrative Controls - controls that alter the way the work is done |
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Personal Protective Equipment - equipment worn by individuals to reduce exposure |
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