A Drayton, Ont., agricultural and recycling company has been fined $175,000 after a worker was critically injured in an industrial accident. Marvara Farms Ltd. pleaded guilty to violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act in Guelph’s Provincial Offences Court.
The incident occurred on Jan. 10, 2023, when the worker fell from equipment into an operational cardboard baler at the company’s factory on 6th Line. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development determined that Marvara Farms Ltd. failed to ensure prescribed safety measures were enforced, as required under Ontario Regulation 851/90.
Workers were separating recycling materials on an elevated platform when cardboard packaging became stuck on a conveyor system. One worker left the platform and climbed onto equipment near the conveyor to clear the jam. While attempting to dislodge the material, the worker slipped and fell into the 70-inch-deep baler hopper, which was still running. The worker was critically injured when the baler’s compacting ram moved forward.
The ministry’s investigation found that hazardous motion in the baler was not stopped before the worker attempted to unjam the machine, leading to the incident.
In addition to the fine, the court imposed a mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge contributes to a provincial fund that supports victims of crime.
Crown counsel Daniel Kleiman represented the case.
