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OHS Fines Scorecard for 2024 (May 15 to June 15)

OHS agencies across Canada reported 12 OHS fines of over $30,000 from mid-May to mid-June, the same number as in the previous 4-week period. The big difference is that only 5 of those reported fines were above $100,000 as compared to 9 from mid-April to mid-May. Result: Of the 56 fines reported during the entire year to date, 26 or fewer than 50% have been in the 6-figure range.

Table 1. OHS Fines in 2024 At A Glance (through June 15)

Period Total Reported Fines Reported 6-Figure Fines
Jan to mid-Feb 11 6
Mid-Feb to mid-March 11 4
Mid-March to mid-April 10 2
Mid-April to mid-May 12 9
Mid-May to mid-June 12

5
Total 56 26

Source: Bongarde

OHS Fines of $100,000 or More

Alberta reported the highest OHS fine of the period, $350,000, for a fatality to a worker who was struck by a section of a pipe that broke free while being transported. Saskatchewan reported its highest fine of 2024 so far, a $325,000 penalty against an employer stemming from the death of a worker who fell through the opening of a skylight. Nearly halfway into the year, the $710,000 administrative monetary penalty imposed by B.C. for a shipyard worker’s confined space death remains the biggest nationwide.

Table 2. Top 5 OHS Fines of 2024 At A Glance (through June 15)

Fine Amount Province Type of Company/Incident
1 $710,488 BC Shipyard/Confined space asphyxiation
2 $600,000 Ontario Truck manufacturer/Explosion during handling of flammables resulting in 6 fatalities
3 $390,000 Alberta Oil & gas/Excavation fatality
4 $360,000 Alberta Heavy equipment/Crane fatality
5 $350,000 Alberta Oil & gas/Pressurized materials fatality
5 $350,000 Alberta Corrosion prevention/Struck by fatality

Source: Bongarde

Ontario continues to lead the country in 6-figure OHS fines dished out with 11, followed closely by Alberta with 9. Together, the 2 provinces have accounted for 5 of the 6 biggest OHS fines of the year. BC handed out the most 6-figure fines during the recent period with 2, bringing its total for the year to 3. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick are the only other provinces that have reported 6-figure OHS fines in 2024 with 2 and 1, respectively. Oil and gas companies in Alberta have been on the receiving end of 2 of the top 5 OHS fines.

Overall OHS Fines

Of the 12 significant OHS fines reported from mid-May to mid-June, 7 came from Ontario, including a case in which a company and its corporate director were fined separately for a fatal fall protection violation. BC and Saskatchewan accounted for 2 fines apiece. As noted above, Alberta reported the biggest fine of the period.

Table 3. OHS Fines Reported from May 15 to June 15, 2024* (over $30,000)

Jurisdiction Fine Company What Happened Violation(s)
Alberta $350,000 Sonic Coating Solutions Inc. Worker is killed after getting hit by a section of pipe being transferred from an abrasive blasting building. Failure to ensure the safety of workers standing in proximity to or under a suspended load.
Saskatchewan $325,000 Spiritwood Stockyards (1984) Ltd. Worker is killed after falling through a fiberglass skylight while attempting to clear snow from a roof. Failure to provide required fall protection and PPE.
Ontario $200,000 Buckhorn Sand & Gravel Inc. Fuel truck stuck on rock in a quarry unexpectedly lurches forward, killing one of the workers trying to free it and seriously injuring another. Failure to implement measures required by OHS mining regulations.
British Columbia $198,891 Axiom Builders Inc. WorkSafeBC inspectors spot multiple violations in line painting operations at underground parkade of 43-storey residential construction site. Failure as prime contractor to implement exposure control plan, proper ventilation, or respiratory protective equipment.
British Columbia $127,673 Complete Utility Contractors Ltd. Excavator hits an underground gas line at a construction site, forcing the closure of a main road and the evacuation of a nearby workplace. Failure to review the BC 1 Call Package available on site or hand-expose the gas line before excavating.
Ontario $82,000 VanHeughten Contractors Inc. Worker not using fall protection standing on a 2 x 4-inch wood strapping while using a cordless framing nailer falls 5.08 metres and dies when strapping breaks. Failure to ensure that roofing crew used required fall protection (company director also fined $32.5K for same violation—see below).
Saskatchewan $80,000 Aallcann Wood Suppliers Inc. Worker gets caught in the chain drive of a conveyor and suffers serious injuries. Failure to guard a dangerous moving part of a machine.
Ontario $80,000 Amico Contractors Inc. Two construction workers setting precast stairs in stair shafts fall off elevated platform after it collapses and suffer serious injuries. Failure to ensure that the platform was constructed and installed to support the load of both workers.
Ontario $60,000 1958040 Ontario Inc., operating as Oakville Toyota Apprentice with long hair tied in a ponytail suffers serious injuries when the hair gets ensnared into the rotating shaft of a truck being serviced. Failure to develop a safe procedure for diagnosing problems with wheel bearings.
Ontario $60,000 Revital Polymers Inc. Mechanic replacing a faulty hydraulic hose on a forklift gets killed when the forklift’s mast falls catching the mechanic between the mast and the cab. Failure to ensure that the forklift was not left unattended.
Ontario $50,000 Richvale York Block Inc. Worker shrink-wrapping manufactured concrete blocks falls off a platform approximately 29 inches above the work floor and suffers serious injury. Failure to ensure that there was a guardrail at the open side of a raised platform on which a worker stood.
Ontario $32,500 Kyle VanHeughten Worker not using fall protection standing on a 2 x 4-inch wood strapping while using a cordless framing nailer falls 5.08 metres and dies when strapping breaks. Failure as a corporate director to ensure that roofing crew used required fall protection (company also fined $82K as employer for same violation—see above).

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

Source: Bongarde