Company penalized for workplace injury

Finning International Inc., as an employer, pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 in the Fort McMurray Court of Justice to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to ensure equipment was operated according to manufacturer's specifications. All remaining charges were withdrawn.

The sentence stems from an incident that occurred Dec. 14, 2023, at an equipment yard near Mildred Lake. A worker was seriously injured after being struck by a moving loader.

Under a creative sentence, the court ordered the company to pay $155,000 to the Alberta Motor Transport Association to develop and deliver practical safety education for worksite parties who work on or attend third-party sites throughout Alberta.

The company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalty.

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.

• Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration does not provide sentence documents. These are available through the Fort McMurray Court of Justice.
• The OHS Act provides a creative sentence option in which funds that would otherwise be paid as fines are directed to an organization or project to improve or promote workplace health and safety.
• Victim fine surcharges apply to fines payable to the Crown. They are not applied to payments to other entities under creative sentences.