Failure to Guard Conveyor Results in Entanglement Death and $350,000 Fine

A worker clearing a conveyor system chute lost his life when his leg became entangled in the conveyor. The employer, a mid-sized Regina paving company, was found guilty of 2 OHS offences, including failure to: i. Provide necessary safety training, information and instruction; and ii. Safeguard workers from making contact with the moving parts of a machine. The question was how big the fine should be. The Saskatchewan court decided on $175,000 per violation, enough to sting the company, deter others and bring solace to the victim’s family but not enough to drive the company out of business [R. v. BLS Asphalt Inc., 2021 SKPC 34 (CanLII), June 22, 2021].