Companies given hefty fines for workplace safety violations

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This article was published 13/11/2014 (2099 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province is reminding employers to ensure their workplaces are safe for employees after two businesses were fined by Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health last month.

One of the incidents occurred in April 2012 at Norbert's Manufacturing Ltd. in the RM of South Cypress, when an employee was trimming aluminum step covers using a hydraulic shear. The worker was instructed to remove the protective guard on the machine, an action that resulted in the partial amputation of four fingers.

On Oct. 20, the employer pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to ensure the worker was adequately trained to operate the hydraulic shear safely. Under the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act, the company was ordered to pay a $50,050 fine.

The second incident took place in August 2012, when a worker at Rakowski Cartage and Wrecking Ltd. severely lacerated his left hand while feeding copper wire into a wire stripper.

The investigation revealed that the machine did not have proper safeguards, and that the employee wasn’t properly supervised by the employer.

On Oct. 22, the business was ordered to pay an $18,800 fine.