Employers are obligated to ensure the safety of their staff while at work
A Saskatchewan company received a fine of $120,000 after an employee was seriously injured in the workplace in July 2020. According to a media release from the provincial government, the employee was seriously injured when their glove was trapped in the belt of a pulley system.
The company in February 2022 pleaded guilty in the Saskatoon Provincial Court to one violation of occupational health and safety legislation. It pleaded guilty to the clause 137(1)(a) of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996 for not being able to provide a safeguard for employees in an where they may be in contact with a dangerous part of a machine.
The court fined the company an initial $85,714.29, before adding a surcharge of $34,285.71 to amount to $120,000.
"Employers are required to provide safe and healthy workplaces, and must provide information, training and experience necessary for employees to perform their jobs safely," the provincial government said in a media release.
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According to The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, the employer has the duty over the provision and maintenance of plant, systems of work, and working environments that ensure the health, safety, and welfare at work of the employer's workers.
It is also their provision of any information, instruction, training, and supervision that is necessary to protect the health and safety of workers at work.
In terms of machine safety, the regulations state that employers should ensure that machines are operated by a competent worker and that employees are informed of any risk associated with the machines.
If a worker is required to feed material into a machine, employers should also ensure that there are means to prevent the activation of the machine while a worker's body could be injured by moving parts. They may also need to install safeguards to prevent the worker from contract a moving part of the machine.
The provincial government of Saskatchewan said the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety is working with "employers and workers to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses through education, inspections, and prosecutions."