Manufacturer Fined $80,000 for Finger Amputations in Separate Incidents

At a plant that processes and manufactures conveyor belts, a worker was moving a boom into position to lift it with an overhead crane. One of his fingers became pinched between the boom and a keeper bar, resulting in partial amputation. In a second incident, another worker was using a knife to cut frayed threads, which had been accumulating on a roller. The glove he was wearing on one hand got caught in an in-running nip hazard created by the brake and rollers. His hand was pulled between the rollers and two fingers were amputated. The manufacturer pleaded guilty to OHS violations for both incidents. The court fined it $30,000 for the first incident and $50,000 for the second [Veyance Technologies Canada, Inc., Govt. News Release, March 5, 2015].