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OHS Fines Scorecard (July 15 to August 15)

After last month’s fines-apalooza, things settled back to normal levels with only 14 significant (which we define as over $25,000) OHS fines reported in the 4-week period between mid-July and mid-August. Fine amounts also normalized with fine total fines at just below $2 million, as compared to nearly $4.1 million last month. At $1.986 million, July-to-August had the third lowest fines total of 2025. 

The average fine amount of $141,864 for the period was the second lowest and well below the yearly average of $170,885. Only mid-May to mid-June had a lower fine average at $120,385. The $263,300 average during Mid-February to mid-March remains the highest for the year. The only other period in which average reported OHS fines exceeded $200,000 was mid-June and mid-July. Here’s a period-by-period breakdown of reported OHS fine totals for the first 8 months of 2025.   

Table 1. OHS Fines in 2025 At A Glance

Period Total Reported Fines Reported 6-Figure Fines Total Fines Value (in millions of dollars)  Average Fine Amount 
To mid-Jan 7 1 $0.684  $97,714 
Mid-Jan to mid-Feb 20 14 $3.689  $184,450 
Mid-Feb to mid-March 9 5 $2.361  $263,300 
Mid-March to mid-April  12 5 $2.029  $169,083 
Mid-April to mid-May  20 6 $2,918 $145,900
Mid-May to mid-June  13 6 $1.565  $120,385 
Mid-June to mid-July  18 13 $4, 081 $226, 722
Mid-July to mid-August  14  7  $1,986 $141,864
Total 113 57 $19.310  $170,885 

Source: Bongarde

6-Figure OHS Fines  

Seven of the 14 significant OHS fines reported during the period were in the 6-figure range. This is consistent with year-long patterns. Thus, of the 153 significant OHS fines reported in Canada in 2025, 57 were for $100,000 or more. Based on previous years, this ratio will likely fall back just a tad to the mid-40% range by the end of the year.  

 Only one of the period’s reported OHS fines cracked our Top 10 list for the entire year, as compared to 3 during the previous period of mid-June to mid-July. The $489,104 administrative monetary penalty imposed on a BC pulp mill for a machine guarding violating resulting in a workers’ death was only enough to make number 9 on the Top 10 list.  

One of the takeaways from Table 2 below is the dominance of BC, which has accounted for 6 of the year’s biggest OHS penalties, including numbers 1 through 4 on our list. Alberta is the only other province with multiple appearances in the Top 10 with 2. Perhaps surprisingly, Ontario has dished out only one of the biggest fines of 2025. The other Top 10 fine comes from Saskatchewan and sits at number 6 on the list. 

Table 2. Top 10 OHS Fines of 2025 (through August 15)

Fine Amount Province Type of Company/Incident Result
1  $783,068  British Columbia Long-term care facility fined for high-risk asbestos violations, including failure to implement an exposure control plan.  No fatality or injury. 
1 $783,068  British Columbia Provincial Government/High-Risk violations for using untrained and unqualified traffic controllers at music festival site.  No fatality or injury. 
1 $783,068  British Columbia Multiple storage rack violations at 2 Walmart stores.  No fatality or injury. 
4 $710,000  British Columbia Electrical, lockout, and machine guarding violations at mining company sites.  2 subcontractor workers seriously injured. 
5 $600,000  Ontario  Construction contractor fined for allowing workers to use dangerous and improper crane procedures.  Fatality.
6 $575,000  Saskatchewan  Machine guarding violation by steel parts manufacturer.  Serious injury to 1 worker. 
7 $500,000  Alberta  Hot work and OHS program violations by prime contractor resulting in welding explosion at energy site.  2 workers killed. 
8 $495,000  Alberta  Crane rigging violation by energy company.*  Fatality. 
9 $489,104  British Columbia Pulp mill fined for machine guarding violation. Fatality. 
10 $467,496  British Columbia Residential services provider fined for letting unlicensed firm perform asbestos abatement work.  No fatality or injury. 

Source: Bongarde 

Alberta reported the most 6-figure OHS fines in the mid-July to mid-August period with 3, followed by BC with 2. Ontario and Nova Scotia accounted for the period’s other 6-figure fines. However, Ontario remains the undisputed leader in total 6-figure fines for the entire year with 22. Alberta (17) and BC (15) are in a tight race for second place with Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia bringing up the rear. Caveat: The inclusion of only 5 provinces on this list is somewhat deceptive and due not to lack of enforcement but the fact that some provinces don’t report the OHS fines they hand out.   

Overall OHS Fines 

Nobody in Canada imposes more significant OHS fines than Ontario. But for this month at least, the province was quiet, reporting only one such fine. BC had the most reported significant OHS fines during the period with 7. Alberta and Nova Scotia reported 3 apiece, the latter of which all came from a single case in which 3 different companies were convicted of violations resulting in the drowning death of a worker who jumped into a reservoir to retrieve equipment without wearing a flotation device that would have probably saved his life. Here’s a breakdown of all the significant OHS fines reported during the period.    

Table 3. 6-Figures OHS Fines in 2025 By Jurisdiction (through August 15)  

Jurisdiction Reported 6-Figure Fines in 2025
1 Ontario  22
2 Alberta  17
3 British Columbia 15
4 Saskatchewan  2
5 Nova Scotia 1

Source: Bongarde

Overall OHS Fines 

Nobody in Canada imposes more significant OHS fines than Ontario. But for this month at least, the province was quiet, reporting only one such fine. BC had the most reported significant OHS fines during the period with 7. Alberta and Nova Scotia reported 3 apiece, the latter of which all came from a single case in which 3 different companies were convicted of violations resulting in the drowning death of a worker who jumped into a reservoir to retrieve equipment without wearing a flotation device that would have probably saved his life. Here’s a breakdown of all the significant OHS fines reported during the period.  

Table 4. OHS Fines Reported July 15 to August 15, 2025* (over $25,000) 

Jurisdiction Fine Company What Happened Violation(s)
BC  $489,104 Canfor Pulp Ltd. Pulp mill worker is injured when an unguarded cylinder activated on a hydraulic pumping system (atmospheric diffuser). Failure to ensure that machinery and equipment was fitted with adequate safeguards to protect workers from hazardous points of operation. 
AB  $330,000  NC Equipment Ltd.  Worker using an air respirator equipped with a supplied air system while performing sandblasting work dies of carbon monoxide poisoning.   Failure to ensure equipment used at a work site would perform safely.  
AB  $210,000  Pacific Rim Industrial Insulations Ltd.  Worker removing roofing materials is killed after falling through the roof to the floor below.  Failure to ensure that a worker at risk of falling 3 meters or more used a travel restraint system. 
BC  $129,482  Dollar Tree Stores Canada Inc.   WorkSafeBC inspectors observe multiple violations at firm’s Fort St. John store.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure that storage rack rated capacity was clearly posted. 
  • Ensure that material and equipment was stacked in a stable and secure way. 
  • Perform a violence risk assessment. 
  • Maintain up-to-date written first aid procedures. 
  • Keep passageways and working space around electrical equipment clear of obstructions.
AB  $125,000  Steelhaus Technologies Inc. Worker suffers serious injury while using a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Lathe to do finishing polishing.  Failure to provide safeguards to keep a worker from coming into contact with moving parts of machinery or equipment.  
ON  $115,000  769550 Ontario Ltd., o/a Ottawa Pavemaster  Worker walking alongside the road at a driveway paving project is killed after getting run over by a dump truck that’s moving in reverse.  Failure to ensure that the driver of a truck that was backing up was assisted by a signaler. 
NS**  $102,000   Brunswick Engineering and Consulting Inc  Worker performing survey work at a reservoir goes into the water without a life jacket to recover a remote-controlled vessel and drowns.   Failure to: 

  • Ensure implementation of its safe work practices for work over water. 
  • Provide required rescue equipment where employees were exposed to risk of drowning (2 other companies fined in same case—see below). 
NS**  $96,250  Nova Scotia Power Inc.  Worker performing survey work at a reservoir goes into the water without a life jacket to recover a remote-controlled vessel and drowns.  Failure to ensure that workers exposed to risk of drowning were provided water rescue equipment (2 other companies fined in same case). 
BC  $90,968  Femo Construction Ltd.   Firm doesn’t fully comply with WorkSafeBC order to develop and train workers on rejection criteria for formwork and falsework components making up a suspended slab at all of its sites.   Failure to comply with WorkSafeBC order within a reasonable period.  
BC  $86,319  Shift Energy Group Inc.  WorkSafeBC inspectors cite a firm that was installing a solar energy system at a residence for multiple OHS violations after observing a worker installing a mounting bracket on the 6:12 sloped roof without fall protection.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure use of fall protection. 
  • Provide workers with necessary safety information, instruction, training, and supervision. 
  • Have a written fall protection plan in place. 
BC  $67,693  Proline Roofing Ltd./Proline Gutters  WorkSafeBC inspectors observe 2 workers on a 7:12 sloped roof without fall protection, even though they were in view of a supervisor.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure use of fall protection. 
  • Provide workers with necessary safety information, instruction, training, and supervision. 
NS**  $61,750  GEMTEC Consulting, Engineers and Scientists Ltd.  Worker performing survey work at a reservoir goes into the water without a life jacket to recover a remote-controlled vessel and drowns.  Failure to ensure that workers exposed to risk of drowning were provided water rescue equipment (2 other companies fined in same case—see above).  
BC  $49,995  Alliance Advanced Building Systems Ltd.  Worker at a truss manufacturing facility is seriously injured by a component saw; WorkSafeBC inspectors determine that one of the saw’s distancing guards had been modified reducing the reach distance between the worker and the blade.  Failure to ensure machinery and equipment was fitted with adequate safeguards to protect workers from hazardous points of operation. 
BC  $32,419  Centre Point Enterprises Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspectors visiting an apartment building construction site cite the firm providing tower crane operating services for OHS violations after observing that the crane lifts had begun lifting loads even though no pre-use inspection of the crane or test of its zone-limiting device had been done.  Failure to ensure that the crane operator inspected the crane and tested the control and safety device  before using a crane, a high-risk and repeat offence.  

* BC OHS fines get reported a month late but are included in the most recent period to ensure continuity and consistency for comparison purposes across all provinces. 

** Penalties imposed after a trial rather than a guilty plea or as an Administrative Monetary Penalty. 

Source: Bongarde