By James Peters

Canfor fined $130,000 after Vavenby worker seriously injured by planer

Mar 11, 2019 | 10:57 AM

VAVENBY, B.C. — Worksafe B.C. has fined forestry giant Canfor nearly $130,000 after a worker at the company’s Vavenby sawmill operation was seriously injured in a planer accident.

According to Worksafe’s latest list of penalties, the fine was imposed after the worker came into contact with a planer’s rotating top head, sustaining serious injuries.

Worksafe’s investigation found that the employee was using a stick to unjam the planer, which had become jammed by a broken board.

While the worker had locked out the planer, it had been switched to bypass mode a few days earlier, meaning that the planer head continue to spin even with the power turned off.

Worksafe says Canfor was fined for several errors or oversights:

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• Failing to ensure the planer was equipped with brakes on the heads as required
• Failing to ensure that no work was done on machinery until hazards were effectively controlled
• Failing to ensure that machinery was capable of safely performing its function and of being operated in accordance with safe work practices

Worksafe says all three are considered “high-risk violations” and fined the forestry company $129,460.07.