A serious injury in the workplace led to a company being fined.

On November 30, 2021, in Yorkton Provincial Court, Premium Brands Operating GP Inc. entered a guilty plea to one charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety said in a news release, the company was “charged with contravening clause 140(2)(b) of the regulations (being an employer, in the circumstance where a machine or other piece of equipment, part of a machine or of a piece of other equipment requires cleaning while all or any part of a machine or other piece of equipment is in motion or under power, fail to ensure that workers who are required to perform the cleaning are trained in the written work practices and procedures, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).”

Three other charges were stayed.

On January 24, the Court imposed a fine to the company totaling $100-thousand – a fine of $71,429 along with a $28,571 surcharge.

The violation stemmed from an incident on August 9, 2019, in Yorkton, when a worker was seriously injured while sanitizing a piece of equipment.

The Ministry stated employers are required to provide safe workplaces, and must provide necessary information, training and experience for employees to perform their jobs safely.