Company Fined $325,000 for Workplace Injury and Fatality

Released on May 23, 2024

On May 14, 2024, Spiritwood Stockyards (1984) Ltd. pleaded guilty in Spiritwood Provincial Court to two violations of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

The company was fined for contravening subsection 7-6 (1) of the regulations (being an employer fail where there is a risk of injury to the head of a worker to provide approved industrial protective headwear and require a worker to use it, resulting in the serious injury of a worker), as well as contravening subsection 9-2 (2) of the regulations (being an employer fail to ensure that workers use a fall protection system at a temporary or permanent work area if a worker may fall three metres or more; or there is a possibility of injury if a worker falls less than three metres, resulting in the death of a worker).

The Court imposed a total fine of $232,142.86 with a surcharge of $92,857.14, for a total amount of $325,000.

Five other charges were withdrawn.

The charges stemmed from two separate incidents that occurred near Spiritwood, Saskatchewan. The first occurred on November 11, 2021, where a worker was struck by a gate and seriously injured while attempting to load bulls onto a trailer.

The second incident occurred on January 26, 2022, where a worker was fatally injured while attempting to clear snow off a roof when the worker fell through a fiberglass skylight.

The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety works with employers and workers to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses through education, intervention and enforcement.

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