Earthfresh Foods Corp. Fined $65,000 After Worker Injured
March 4, 2010 12:15 PM
Toronto, Ont. - Earthfresh Foods Corp. was fined $65,000 yesterday for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured at its plant in Etobicoke.
On September 10, 2008, an Earthfresh worker was sorting potatoes on a conveyor belt. The worker's thumb became caught in a pinch point between the belt and the metal frame of the machine. The worker's thumb was then pulled towards, and made contact with, a rotating shaft, causing a serious hand injury.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found that neither the pinch point nor the rotating shaft on the machine were guarded.
Earthfresh Foods Corp. pled guilty under the OHSA of failing, as an employer, to ensure that all pinch points on the machine were guarded.
The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Alice Napier. In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Court Information at a Glance
Location: Ontario Court of Justice
60 Queen St. W., Courtroom C
Toronto, Ont.
Judge: Justice of the Peace Alice Napier
Date of Conviction: March 3, 2010
Defendants: Earthfresh Foods Corp.
Matter: Occupational Health and Safety
Conviction: Ontario Regulation 851, Section 25
Crown Counsel: Linda Chen
Contacts
- Matt Blajer
Communications Branch
416-326-7405
Ministry of Labour
ontario.ca/labour