A Guelph farm has pleaded guilty under the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was severely injured in an accident.
On April 29 2013, a worker at WM. Sharpe Farms Limited in Guelph was cleaning and emptying corn from a grain bin. While exiting the bin through an access hatch, the worker’s foot slipped and became caught in a powered screw auger directly below the hatch.
The worker lost part of their leg.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour said WM. Sharpe Farms Limited was charged for failing to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances by failing to ensure that the powered screw auger was guarded to prevent access to a moving part.
The farm plead guilty to the charge on December 19, and were fined $48,000.
