Two Manitoba employers facing fines after employees injured at work

Manitoba legislative building

The Manitoba government is reporting that two employers in the province are facing tens of thousands of dollars in fines for unrelated incidents where an employee was injured at work.

The first incident took place on Dec. 11, 2019, when a worker for Excel-7 Ltd. was replacing concrete slabs using a fabricated lifting device in the suspended floor of a hog barn in the RM of Oakview.

The province said that while the worker was lifting a 700-pound concrete slab, a cable on the lifting device failed, which caused the slab to fall several feet below floor level and swing from one end. The worker’s thumb was struck and crushed between the slab and the lifting device.

The province adds that another cable pinned the worker’s leg against the side of the pit and had to be cut to free the worker.

Manitoba said this incident was not reported to the Workplace Safety and Health Branch until two days after it happened.

Officials with Workplace Safety and Health conducted an investigation and laid charges.

On Sept. 27, 2022, Excel-7 pleaded guilty to failing to immediately and by the fastest means of communication available notify the Workplace Safety and Health Branch that a serious incident had taken place. The court imposed a $25,000 fine.

The second unrelated incident took place on Dec. 12, 2019, when a worker for the Frontier School Division in Moose Lake was pushing wood through an unguarded table saw. According to the Manitoba government, the worker’s left hand came into contact with the rotating blade, which resulted in severe cuts.

Workplace Safety and Health officials investigated and laid charges.

On July 26, 2022, the Frontier School Division pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that a machine is equipped with appropriate safeguards to prevent a worker from coming into contact with the points of the machine at which material is cut. The court imposed a $30,000 fine.

Manitoba Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services reminds employers that they need to notify the Workplace Safety and Health Branch immediately if a serious incident takes place. It also reminds employers to make sure that machines in the workplace have the appropriate safeguards.