Belmont Meat Products: Meat Processor Fined $26K for Equipment-Related Injury

June 27, 2018 Canadian meat processing firm Belmont Meat Products was sentenced to pay penalties totaling CAD$35,000, or about $26,300, in an Ontario court on June 14 after a worker was critically injured in an equipment-related incident at its Toronto, ON plant last January, the Ontario Ministry of Labour said in a press release.In addition, the worker's employer, Betts Cleaning Specialists Ltd., was ordered to pay fines totaling CAD$50,000, or about $37,600, for its role in the injury.The Betts worker was cleaning a mixer/grinding machine with two counter rotating paddles at the Belmont Meat plant on Jan. 20, 2018 while the equipment was operating. Attempting to clear a piece of meat from the machine, the worker contacted the paddles after reaching in the equipment.The sanitation company was charged with failing to prevent the mixer/grinder from operating while it was being cleaned. Betts plead guilty to violations of Section 75 of the Industrial Establishments Regulation (Regulation 851).Belmont Meat plead guilty to interfering with the equipment and the scene before Ontario Ministry of Labour investigators arrived at the Toronto plant following the injury, violating Section 51(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA).For more news headlines, articles, and equipment reviews, visit our Equipment Zones