The worker was injured while trying to reposition slats underneath a conveyor belt.
“The worker lifted the belt with one hand and began to pound the slats back into place with the other hand. The worker had not locked out or otherwise disabled the conveyor belt,” the court said in a statement. “Another employee pressed the 'start' button on the conveyor belt and it began to move, pulling the worker's hand into a sprocket. The worker sustained a broken finger on the hand that was pulled into the sprocket; the injured hand required a significant number of stitches.”
The court noted that the worker had not received training on locking out the conveyor belt on the production line, although the worker had received training on lockout and guarding procedures, in general.
In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25 percent victim fine surcharge as required by provincial law. The surcharge goes toward a government fund for victim of crime.
