North Okanagan chicken farm fined $39K after worker’s arm caught in machine

An Armstrong chicken farm has been fined almost $39,000 after an employee suffered serious injuries when their arm got caught in machinery.

WorkSafeBC fined Armstrong's Colonial Farms $38,930 stating that the machine lacked adequate safeguards.

The recently published decision says the fine was imposed Aug. 5, and the farm has requested a review of the penalty.

According to the WorkSafeBC decision, the worker's arm was caught by a rotating bar during the routine end-of-day cleaning of a machine. The decision does not say when the incident took place, but that the worker sustained serious injuries and no procedure was in place to lock the machine before cleaning began.

"WorkSafeBC determined that the machine lacked adequate safeguards to prevent worker access to hazardous points of operation," the decision says. "The firm failed to ensure energy sources were isolated and controlled to prevent the unexpected startup of machinery."

The decision also says the farm had previously been told about some of its inadequate safety measures. The poultry processing farm "failed to ensure lockout devices were secured" and "failed to ensure equipment was fitted with adequate safeguards, both repeated violations," says the decision.

The government safety watchdog says Colonial Farms failed to ensure the health and safety of its workers and the violations were all "high-risk."

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