KELOWNA, British Columbia – A Canadian manufacturer of restaurant and hotel furniture has been fined for allegedly dissuading a worker from reporting an injury.
, a provincial government agency similar to the United States’ OSHA, fined $5,339 for telling an employee to not report a table saw injury. The worker ended up reporting the injury four years later.
“WorkSafeBC determined the firm told the worker they should not report the injury,” the penalty notice says, which offered few details. “The worker did not report the injury until about four years after it occurred.”
WorkSafeBC listed the complaint as “claim suppression,” a section of the province’s Workers Compensation Act. It expanded the section in 2022, with more provisions added last year and this year.
“While WorkSafeBC already investigates allegations of claim suppression, the amendment adds explicit provisions against employers dissuading workers from filing a claim, with enforcement through penalties under the occupational health and safety provisions of the Workers Compensation Act,” the agency wrote.
Founded in 1990, Hyatt & Sons manufacturers booths, upholstered seating and other seating solutions for restaurants, hotels, casinos and other locations.
Hyatt & Sons has not responded to Furniture Today’s request for a comment.