Gwillimdale Farms Ltd pleads guilty in 2022 workplace death case and faces $125,000 fine

A Bradford company has been fined $125,000 over the workplace death of an intern two years ago.

Gwillimdale Farms Ltd pleaded guilty last month in connection with the fatal incident that occurred on August 30, 2022, according to a government announcement.

The company located on line 11 runs a commercial farm and a vegetable washing, sorting and packing facility.

The court heard that in the weeks leading up to the incident, workers had been preparing the potato line, including greasing the line while the machine was running, and on August 30, a trainee, who had been assigned other duties, began greasing the machine himself and suffered fatal injuries.

The investigation revealed that the line’s receiving conveyor was not equipped with a guard to prevent access to the crush area.

“Gwillimdale Farms LTD, as an employer, failed to ensure that the measures and procedures provided for in Section 25 of Regulation No. 851 of the Province of Ontario were applied in the workplace,” reads the government announcement.

The company has since taken steps to improve safety, including additional security and a review of its training practices.

The court also imposed the required 25 percent victim surcharge. The subsidy goes to a special fund of the provincial government to help crime victims.