An Abbotsford mushroom farm found to be operating without a first-aid attendant has been fined $152,309 by WorkSafeBC, the government regulator for occupational health and safety policies.
WorkSafeBC inspected Highline Mushrooms West Limited mushroom growing facility and determined "there was no qualified first-aid attendant available on site. The firm failed to ensure it provided first-aid attendants and services adequate for promptly rendering first aid to workers. This was a repeated violation,” the Sep. 24 order states.
Mushroom farms are particularly vulnerable due to air quality risks and machinery; they have specific guidelines to reduce the potential for injury or disease, WorkSafeBC states online.
Last June, 170 migrant agricultural workers at four Highline sites in Abbotsford unionized, according to United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1518.
Glacier Media reached out to the company for an opportunity to comment and will update this article should it respond.
