Company charged under Occupational Health and Safety Act after employee run over by trailer
Snokist Ltd. of Hartford is facing a hefty fine following a workplace accident in Gordonsville in 2022 when an employee of the Christmas tree farm was injured while being run over by a trailer.
Snokist was charged with allowing a person to ride on a vehicle not designed for passengers and failing to take every precaution to ensure the safety of employees, following an accident at a tree harvesting operation on Nov. 9, 2022. The company pleaded guilty to the first charge, and the crown withdrew the second charge.
During a sentencing hearing on July 16, Crown Prosecutor Sean Corscadden recommended the company be fined $10,000 due to the seriousness of the accident and because Snokist had one prior conviction under the Occupational Health and Safety Act involving a wood splitter.
Defence Counsel Peter Crocco asked for a lower fine of $7,500, noting the company had used the trailers for 40 years without incident.
Crocco said the trailers operated five inches above the ground and travelled at just three miles per hour. Employees were transported on the trailers to work sites that were often too muddy, icy or slippery for walking.
“This method was amiable for carrying passengers for years, but it was not designed for that,” Crocco told the court. “They’re guilty under the Act. They’re not going to be able to use that function anymore. Employees will have to walk in and out of the work site from now on.”
Snokist is a family-owned and operated wholesale business employing 50 people. Mac Fox appeared in court on behalf of the company on Monday.
When the accident occurred, the court heard that a group of workers were riding on trailers being pulled by a tractor. Ten employees were on the first trailer and seven were on the second, while the third trailer was empty.
A man in his 30s was riding on the middle trailer when it hit a stump rounding a corner. He fell off the back and was run over by the trailer behind, suffering broken ribs and a dislocated leg. The tractor stopped, and the trailer was moved off him.
Crocco said workers were advised to hang onto stakes on the trailers from a standing position. No trees were being hauled on the trailers. The worker who was injured was not a long-term employee and did not return to the job.
Judge Anne Marie Richard reserved her decision on sentence until Aug. 21 at 9:30 a.m.
