Health Region Fined $154,000 after Carbon Monoxide Kills Three Seniors

At a seniors home, residents and workers began getting sick. After someone suggested that it might be a gas leak, they opened some windows. But some people closed the windows because they were cold. When they finally decided to evacuate, it took an hour to start emptying the building. As a result, three elderly residents died and 22 residents, five workers and two visitors were treated in the hospital for exposure to the carbon monoxide. There were no carbon monoxide detectors in the home because they weren’t required under the building code. They have since been installed. The health region pleaded guilty to two OHS violations for failing to ensure workers were properly trained on the boiler and ventilation systems and to arrange regular inspections. It was fined $154,000 [Saskatoon Health Region, Govt. News Release, July 16, 2012].