Toronto bakery Fiera Foods fined $300,000 in 2016 death of worker

Commercial bakery Fiera Foods Company has been fined $300,000 after pleading guilty in the 2016 death of a temporary worker.

According to a bulletin published by the Ontario Ministry of Labour on Thursday, the woman suffered fatal injuries at the Toronto facility on Sept. 2, 2016.

The worker’s hijab, which was loose at the ends, got stuck in a guard that was covering the chain drive of a conveyor belt.

“An emergency stop button was not accessible from the location of the entanglement,” the statement said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "An emergency stop button was not accessible from the location of the entanglement," the statement said.

The ministry’s investigation determined that Fiera “failed to ensure that a worker near a source of entanglement secured all loose clothing,” as required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.

In an investigation into Fiera Foods and its use of temporary employees published by the Toronto Star last week, the victim was identified as 23-year-old Amina Diaby.

Star reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh claimed she received just five minutes of training while posing as a temp worker at Fiera for a month in May. According to the newspaper, three temporary workers have died at Fiera since 1999.

In addition to the $300,000 fine, the court also imposed a 25 per cent victim surcharge, which goes toward a government fund to assist victims of crime.

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