A Saskatoon dairy company and a Guelph, Ont. manufacturer have each been fined following separate workplace safety investigations that found violations of occupational health and safety rules.
Agrifoods International Cooperative Ltd., a Saskatoon-based dairy company, was fined $100,000 after pleading guilty on Sept. 29 to failing to ensure that only trained operators were permitted to operate powered mobile equipment. The charge stemmed from an incident on Nov. 20, 2023, in which a worker acting as a wash bay attendant was seriously injured after being pinched between a semi tractor and a milk tanker trailer. Two additional charges against the company were withdrawn. The total fine includes $71,428.57 in penalties along with a victim fine surcharge of $28,571.43.
Saskatchewan Ministry’s Role
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety said it relies on a combination of education, intervention and enforcement in an effort to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.
In a separate case in Ontario, Kiwi Constructors Ltd., a precast concrete building components manufacturer based in Guelph, was fined $70,000 after an employee was struck by a large steel table at the company’s Massey Road facility on Sept. 24, 2025. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the company uses a semi-automated production system that moves steel tables between workstations, and the worker was injured while walking through the production area as one of the tables was in motion.
Investigation Findings
The ministry’s investigation determined that portions of the equipment’s movement were not visible from the control station, and that the warning system in place — a white light indicating when tables were in motion — was inadequate. Kiwi Constructors Ltd. pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $70,000.
Both cases illustrate the financial penalties companies can face when provincial safety investigations find failures to adequately train workers or maintain sufficient warning systems around industrial equipment.
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