Merritt sawmill fined $70,000 for high-risk violation

A Merritt sawmill has been fined $70,000 for failing to have the correct safety features on a convey belt.

According to a recently published Oct. 29 WorkSafeBC penalty notice, Aspen Planers was fined $69,935 for failing to have adequate safety guards on its machinery.

"WorkSafeBC inspected the worksite and observed an unguarded conveyor belt tensioner with in-running nip point, an unguarded chain and sprocket drive and associated auger, and a chain conveyor that had an open top, which exposed a moving chain conveyor," the WorkSafe BC penalty notice read.

The notice said the equipment was in an area accessible to workers at the lumber mill.

"The firm failed to ensure belt conveyors had guarded nip points to prevent contact by workers, and failed to ensure machinery and equipment were fitted with adequate safeguards," the notice read.

WorkSafeBC didn't give any more details regarding the infraction, and only said it's a "repeated" and "high-risk violation."

According to WorkSafeBC, this is the first time the firm has been fined in a decade.

In 2014, the sawmill was issued a $14,000 fine after inspectors found combustible dust accumulations on various surfaces and fixtures which hadn't been cleaned up.

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