Par-Pak fined $90k after worker injury

Par-Pak fined $90,000 after worker injured on machinery
Par-Pak fined $90,000 after worker injured on machinery
Par-Pak has been fined $90,000 by the Ministry of Labour (MoL) after a worker was caught in moving machinery and suffered a fractured bone.

The Canadian firm pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that prescribed measures and procedures were carried out in the workplace at a hearing this month.

Workers were operating a machine called a turret winder, used to wind plastic film onto a cardboard core, at the company's Victoria Crescent location in Brampton, Ontario on 12 February 2012.

A worker taped a piece of plastic film onto the cardboard core on a spindle of the turret winder while standing on a safety mat.

The worker stepped off the safety mat, another worker turned on the power to the winder and its spindle began to rotate.

Re-tape the film

The first worker then noticed that the plastic film that had been taped to the core had fallen off, and stepped back onto the safety mat in front of the spindles to re-tape the film.

In doing so, the worker became entangled between the rotating spindle and the plastic film, and the worker spun around the spindle once before co-workers hit an emergency stop button.

Par-Pak is a manufacturer of produce, bakery, custom and deli packaging.

A Ministry of Labour investigation showed that although the employer had a written procedure stating that workers were never to tape plastic film to a core while a spindle was rotating, and had a certificate of safety compliance, the machine was not adequately guarded as required by regulation to prevent access to the pinch point.

Par-Pak snapped up

In a separate development, Par-Pak announced it had been acquired by The Waddington Group for an undisclosed amount this month.

The acquisition of Par-Pak enables The Waddington Group to continue its growth and expand into new and exciting markets, said a statement.

Sajjad Ebrahim, CEO of Par-Pak, added: "I look forward to working with the entire group to build an even greater company, with a broader array of products, technologies and expertise serving our customers with best-in-class products to serve all their packaging needs.”

Related topics Processing & Packaging

Related news