Pacific Rim Industrial Insulations Ltd., as an employer, pleaded guilty on July 28 in the Fort McMurray Court of Justice to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to ensure a worker used a travel restraint system where the worker could fall a vertical distance of three metres or more. The company was fined $210,000 including the 20 per cent victim fine surcharge and placed on 18 months of enhanced regulatory supervision. The Crown withdrew three other counts.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred at an oil sands facility at Mildred Lake on June 8, 2023. A worker died after falling through an opening while replacing a building’s metal roof.
Both the company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalties.
Alberta’s OHS laws set basic health and safety rules for workplaces across the province. They provide guidance for employers to help them ensure their workplaces are as healthy and safe as possible while providing rights and protections for workers. Charges under OHS laws may be laid when failing to follow the rules results in a fatality or serious injury.
Quick facts
- Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration does not provide sentence documents. These are available through the Fort McMurray Court of Justice.
- An enhanced regulatory supervision order requires a party to complete several actions to improve corporate or individual health and safety systems or knowledge.
- Fatality investigation summaries are posted to alberta.ca/fatality-investigation-summaries 60 to 90 days after court proceedings conclude.