Maple Leaf Foods was fined CA$120,000 (US$98,635) after a worker was injured and the company pleaded guilty of violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
On March 23, 2016, a Maple Leaf Foods worker was preparing to dump deboned chicken into a hopper for processing at the company's facility at 440 Glover Road South in Hannon, Ontario. The chicken was loaded onto a pallet in a large cardboard and plastic box called a "combo." The worker placed the pallet in the processing equipment so that it could be raised and dumped in the hopper.
During the dumping of the chicken the combo collapsed, causing the chicken to get stuck inside. The worker began lowering the combo to try to fix it, but it fell out of position on the equipment. The worker attempted to correct the positioning by hand and the pallet holding the combo slid down and struck the worker's arm, causing injuries, according to a press release from the Ontario government.
A Ministry of Labour investigation determined that the chicken was not moved in such a way, and with necessary precautions safeguards in place, to protect the safety of a worker as required by section 45(a) of the Regulation for Industrial Establishments. This was in violation of section 25 (1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $120,000. The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Kelly Visser. The court also imposed a 25-percent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Maple Leaf Foods, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. It’s product lines include packaged meats, ready-to-cook and ready-to-serve meal products, and value-added fresh pork, chicken and turkey.
