K-G Spray-Pak fined $75K after worker caught in conveyor belt

October 22, 2018 – K-G Spray-Pak Inc., a manufacturer and packager of aerosol products, has been fined $75,000 by the Ministry of Labour after pleading guilty in a case that involved a worker being injured after being caught in a conveyor belt at the company’s plant.

The court also imposed a 25 per cent 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.

The incident took place June 12, 2017. According to the Ministry of Labour, a worker who was on a work placement through Sheridan College was assigned to a task on a conveyor. After completing the task, the worker reached under the conveyor to cut off the ends of the tie straps being used to secure hosing.

The worker looked down to retrieve dropped pliers; in doing so, the worker’s hair became caught in a rotating return shaft on the underside of the conveyor and the worker suffered injuries. The worker was taken by emergency services to hospital for treatment.

The ministry says that K-G Spray-Pak failed to ensure that proper procedures were followed regarding the safeguarding of the machinery, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.