Grocery Store Fined $60,000 after Worker’s Injured by Meat Grinder

A grocery store worker was instructed by a supervisor to grind chicken using a meat grinder, which comes equipped with a barrier guard that prevents a user’s fingers from entering into the inlet area. But at the time, the guard wasn’t in place. The worker began feeding the meat directly into the inlet area by hand and made contact with the moving auger, resulting in a critical injury. An MOL investigation found that the guard that would’ve prevented contact with the auger had been missing from the grinder for an unknown period of time. The store pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the grinder was guarded by a guard or other device as prescribed and was fined $60,000 [Nations Fresh Foods, Govt. News Release, Sept. 1, 2015].