PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – A Regina-based wood supplier has been fined $40,000, including an $11,428.57 surcharge, for its involvement in an occupational accident that cost a worker several fingers on Oct. 29, 2015. According to a Sept. 6 news release from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, an employee of Aallcann Wood Suppliers Incorporated was removing debris from a wood peeler at a worksite near Prince Albert when the machine’s rotating teeth made contact with the worker’s hand, severing several of the fingers. The employer later pleaded guilty in Prince Albert Provincial Court to failing to ensure that a machine was locked out before a worker undertook maintenance of it, and three other charges were dropped. Aallcann was sentenced to pay the fine on Aug. 25 of this year. “The hand is the most commonly injured body part,” the Ministry stated in the release. “Common hand hazards include chains, gears, rollers, wheels, transmission belts, spiked or jagged tools, cutting tools, or processes that involve shearing, chopping or crushing.” Employers need to identify hazards and develop safety measures to prevent injuries, the release added.