Company Fined $50,000 After Worker Injured at Milton Food Processing Facility

Convicted: Chudleigh's Ltd., 8501 Chudleigh Way, Milton, Ontario; an industrial food processing company specializing in apple-based products

Location of Workplace: 8501 Chudleigh Way, Milton, Ontario.

Description of Offence: A worker was injured trying to clear a blockage at the base of a silo. The company failed, as an employer, to acquaint the worker with a workplace hazard, contrary to section 25(2)(d) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Date of Offence: January 23, 2024

Date of Conviction: May 29, 2026

Penalty Imposed:

• Following a guilty plea in the Ontario Court of Justice in Burlington, Chudleigh's Ltd. was fined $50,000 by Justice of the Peace Trevor J. Howard; Crown Counsel was Alexsis Qi.
• The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.

Background:

• On January 23, 2024, a worker was attempting to clear a blockage in a sugar silo in the facility's ingredients room.
• The worker reached into a valve attached to the base of the silo and manually dislodged the sugar chunks that were causing the blockage.
• As the blockage cleared, the equipment moved unexpectedly, critically injuring the worker.
• An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found that the company failed to acquaint the worker with the hazards of accessing the valve at the base of the silo.
• By failing to acquaint the worker with this workplace hazard, Chudleigh's Ltd. contravened section 25(2)(d) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.