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Six weeks into the year, there have been 11 OHS reported fines across Canada in 2024. Among these, 6 totaled over $100,000. As one would expect, Ontario accounted for the most reported fines—6 of 11, as well as 4 of the 6 biggest fines. The other 2 6-figure fines during the period came from Alberta, including the largest reported fine–$350,000 against an oilfield company for a pipe worker’s fatality.
A single Ontario case involving a construction collapse that killed 2 workers and critically injured 4 others accounted for 2 of the period’s biggest fines, including a penalty of $260,000 against the company responsible for the formwork and $140,000 against the company that carried out the concrete pouring operation that caused the collapse.
Keep in mind that these numbers are artificially low to the extent that many provinces don’t publicly report their OHS fines and WorkSafeBC, which hands out the most fines of any jurisdiction by far, doesn’t report penalties until roughly 3 or 4 months after it hands them out. Here’s a summary of all of the major OHS fines from January 1 through the first 2 weeks of February.
OHS Fines Reported from January 1 to February 13, 2024 (over $20,000)
| Jurisdiction | Fine | Company | What Happened | Violation(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | $350,000 | Xtreme Oilfield Group Inc. | Check valve of pipe under pressure breaks, strikes and kills worker performing tests on the pipe | Failure to ensure a worker’s health and safety |
| Ontario | $260,000 | iSpan Systems LP | Concrete pour operation causes construction collapse, killing 2 workers and seriously injuring 4 others | Failure to ensure that a building, structure or any part of it was capable of supporting loads that may be applied to it |
| Ontario | $140,000 | East Elgin Concrete Forming Ltd. | Concrete pour operation causes construction collapse, killing 2 workers and seriously injuring 4 others | Failure to provide proper safety information, instruction and training on concrete measuring |
| Ontario | $120,000 | OJB Industries Inc. | Worker sandblasting metal turret in metal turret in abrasive blast room dies of carbon monoxide poisoning | Failure to ensure that the compressed breathing air system of victim’s respirator was equipped with a continuous carbon monoxide monitor and properly calibrated |
| Ontario | $110,000 | Matpol Metal Roof Manufacturing Ltd., c/o/b as Canadian Metal Roof Manufacturing Ltd. | Worker suffers fatal fall while installing metal sheathing on a second-storey roof | Failure, as constructor, to ensure fall protection to a worker at risk of falling more than 3 metres |
| Alberta | $102,000 | Great Northern Plumbing Inc. | Rack holding steel pipe buckles under the weight and collapses on worker causing serious injury | Failure to ensure that rated capacity on the operation of equipment wasn’t exceeded |
| Ontario | $70,000 | Amco Farms Inc. | Worker replacing the hydraulic cylinders on a scissor lift injured when lift’s platform and lifting mechanism collapse | Failure to ensure that lift’s platform and lifting mechanism were securely blocked to keep them from moving or falling |
| Saskatchewan | $46,000 | Pedigree Poultry Ltd. | Poultry plant worker suffers serious injury after getting foot entangled in a horizontal auger system | Not disclosed, but presumably failure to properly guard a machine |
| Manitoba | $45,000 | MacDougall Steel Erectors Inc. | Steel column falls while being hoisted striking worker’s foot resulting in amputation of several toes | Failure to ensure that workers and supervisors were properly trained on hazards of the work |
| British Columbia | $43,359 | VPAC Construction Group Ltd | Inspectors spot OHS violations | Multiple violations |
| Saskatchewan | $24,000 | J & H Rentals Ltd. | Worker suffers serious injury after falling through an opening in a work platform | Failure to ensure that a floor or work surface opening through which a worker is covered with a securely installed covering capable of supporting a load of 360 kg per square metre and marked with a warning sign |
Source: Bongarde
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