Manitoba Labour and Immigration is reminding employers to ensure workplaces are safe and employees are provided with the proper procedures to perform their duties. When a workplace incident occurs, Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) investigates and can recommend prosecution if it is determined the employer did not have appropriate safeguards in place or employees had not been properly trained.
On Dec. 9, 2011, a worker for Carte International Inc. sustained injuries to two fingers on his right hand. The worker was operating a coil winding machine, used to form conductors used in electrical transformers, when his fingers came in contact with a pinch point on the machine. On April 7, 2015, the employer pleaded guilty under section 4(1)(a) of the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act to the charge of allowing a worker to operate a foil/wire winding machine without sufficient safeguards in place to protect workers from contact with moving parts. The company was ordered to pay $25,050 in fines and surcharges.
On Dec. 19, 2011, maintenance workers at Brandon-based Behlen Industries Inc. were using compressed air to remove dust buildup on electrical equipment that was located near asbestos-containing spray foam insulation. During this process, the spray foam insulation was displaced and the workers were exposed to the asbestos-containing material. On Feb. 11, 2015, the employer pleaded guilty under section 37.2(1)(a) of the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act Regulation, M.R. 217/2006 to the charge of failing to ensure that a person who was competent in identifying asbestos-containing material had prepared an inventory of all asbestos-containing material in the workplace. The company was ordered to pay $43,800 in fines and surcharges.
Building owners and employers are reminded it is their responsibility to identify and create an inventory of all asbestos-containing materials in the building. Before any work commences with or near the asbestos-containing material, building owners and employers must develop and put safe work procedures in place to eliminate or control potential worker exposure, and workers must then be trained in these procedures. When an asbestos exposure incident occurs, WSH investigates and can recommend prosecution if it is determined the building owner and/or employer did not have appropriate safeguards in place or employees had not been properly trained.
More information on WSH and the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act is available at www.gov.mb.ca/labour/safety.
