EarthFresh Farms has been fined $200,000 after admitting responsibility for a workplace safety violation following a loading dock incident in Burlington that left a worker with critical injuries.
The incident took place on Sept. 1, 2024, at the company’s Clay Avenue distribution facility. A shunt truck operator was preparing to back a trailer into a loading dock after another worker had completed an inspection and opened the trailer doors.
Before the trailer was moved, a driver employed by a different company noticed it had no lights illuminated, an indication at the site that the trailer was not ready to be repositioned. The driver then walked behind the trailer toward the dock to hand in paperwork. While reversing, the shunt truck operator was unable to see the worker because of a blind spot, and the trailer struck the individual, causing life-threatening injuries.
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour found the trailer had been moved without its electrical and brake lines connected to the shunt truck, leaving it without functioning lights. Investigators also discovered the truck’s reverse warning alarm was inoperable. The ministry said workers had been told those safety features were unnecessary because the vehicle was used only within the company’s yard.
The investigation concluded that EarthFresh Farms did not take all reasonable measures to protect workers, contrary to the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The company pleaded guilty in Burlington Provincial Offences Court and was fined $200,000 on April 24, 2026. A mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge was also imposed, with the funds directed toward provincial programs that support victims of crime.