Maple Leaf slapped with $110K safety fine

A worker at Maple Leaf Foods’ meat processing facility in North York, Ontario, lost his fingers when he attempted to clear a blockage from a meat chopper in July 2012. Canada’s Ministry of Labour has found the company negligent in ensuring the machine’s blade could only be accessed and cleaned when completely stopped.

Improper safeguard​

The blade on the meat chopper was guarded by a safety cage. When the worker in question lifted the blade and attempted to use a hook to remove the blockage, the blade continued to turn, rather than stopping; the hook became caught, the worker was pulled in, and the fingers were lopped off.

Justice of the Peace David J. Hunt imposed a $110,000 fine against the plant for improper safeguards. In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25% victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act, which will go to a special fund to assist victims of crime. 

Maple Leaf Foods officials declined to comment on the incident or court case.

Past offenses​

The 2012 incident is not Maple Leaf Foods’ first significant fine for health and safety violations.

The firm was fined $100,000 after the court found it negligible in protecting a Kitchener facility worker whose arm was crushed by a box-forming machine in July 2010. It also received a $100,000 fine for improperly training and insufficient safeguards when a worker at the same plant was mauled by a wrapping machine.