OHS Fines Scorecard (March 15 to April 15)

There were 12 significant reported OHS fines of over $25,000 in Canada in the 4-week period from mid-March to mid-April, which is 3 more than last month and exactly the average fine volume during the first 4 periods of 2025. However, total fine amounts were $2.029 million, the third lowest of the year. At just below $170,000, average OHS fines were also down and below the monthly average of $182,500 for the entire year. Here are the OHS fine totals for the first 4 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 
Total 48 25 $8.760  $182,500 

Source: Bongarde

6-Figure OHS Fines

Five of the 12 reported significant OHS fines during the period totaled $100,000 or more. But that number is somewhat deceptive to the extent that 3 of those fines came from the same case. Even so, of the 48 significant fines reported for the year, 25 have been in the 6-figure range.     

For the first time in 3 months, the biggest fine of the period didn’t come from BC. Alberta stole this month’s spotlight by imposing over $1.2 million in total fines against 3 different companies for the same incident involving a crane fatality, including the biggest fine of the period and fourth biggest of the year–$495,000 against Suncor for a crane rigging violation. The other 2 companies were hit with fines of $374,000 apiece, number 5 on this year’s Top 10 OHS fines list. It’s worth noting that all 3 of the companies made a plea deal, agreeing to plead guilty to one charge in exchange for the dropping of multiple other charges.  

BC and Ontario reported the only other 6-figure fines during the period in cases involving serious injuries but not fatalities. Five of this year’s Top 11 OHS fines have come from BC. Alberta has 4 of the Top 10 and Ontario 2.  

Table 2. Top 10 OHS Fines of 2025 So Far

Fine Amount Province Type of Company/Incident Result
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.
3 $710,000 British Columbia Electrical, lockout, and machine guarding violations at mining company sites. 2 subcontractor workers seriously injured.
4 $495,000  Alberta  Crane rigging violation by energy company*.  Fatality. 
5 $374,000  Alberta  Hazard assessment violation by mining equipment company*.  Fatality. 
5 $374,000  Alberta   Unspecified violation by crane company*.  Fatality. 
6 $365,000  Alberta  Diving operation violations at reservoir site.  Fatality. 
7 $351,059  British Columbia Prime contractor/Rooftop derrick cranes incident.   Serious injury. 
8 $350,000  Alberta  Pipeline contractor/Machine operator crushed.  Fatality. 
9 $255,346  British Columbia Excavation violations leading to gas line rupture that releases natural gas.  No fatality or injury. 
10 $250,000  Ontario  Excavation contractor/Trench collapse.  2 workers killed. 
10 $250,000  Ontario Utilities company/Electrocution.  Critical injury. 

* Fine is for company’s role in same incident involving a crane fatality. 

Source: Bongarde 

Table 3. 6-Figures OHS Fines in 2025 By Jurisdiction  

Jurisdiction Reported 6-Figure Fines in 2025
1 Ontario 9
2 Alberta 9
2 British Columbia 7

Source: Bongarde

Alberta has now tied Ontario for the most reported 6-figure fines of the year. BC is close behind with 7. Somewhat surprisingly, no other jurisdiction has yet reported a 6-figure OHS fine in 2025. 

Overall OHS Fines 

For the second straight month, BC handed out the most significant OHS fines of the period with 5, followed by Ontario and Alberta with 3 apiece. Québec accounted for the only other significant fine in a case that actually went to trial before the employer pleaded guilty.  

Table 3. OHS Fines Reported March 15 to April 15, 2025* (over $25,000) 

Jurisdiction Fine Company What Happened Violation(s)
Alberta $495,000  Suncor Energy Services Inc.  Heavy equipment technician is killed in a fall after being hit by a piece of equipment suspended from a crane while conducting shovel maintenance duties.  Failure to ensure that sharp edges on loads being hoisted were guarded to prevent damage to the rigging (2 other companies fined for same incident). 
Alberta $374,000  NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul Services Ltd.  Heavy equipment technician is killed in a fall after being hit by a piece of equipment suspended from a crane while conducting shovel maintenance duties (same incident as above).  Failure to ensure a hazard assessment was repeated when a new work process was introduced. 
Alberta $374,000  Joy Global (Canada) Ltd.  Heavy equipment technician is killed in a fall after being hit by a piece of equipment suspended from a crane while conducting shovel maintenance duties (same incident as above).  Failure to ensure a worker’s health and safety. 
British Columbia $255,346  Complete Utility Contractors Ltd.  A backhoe removing gravel from a ditch strikes a gas line, causing a release of natural gas.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure that excavation work near an underground utility service was carried out in accordance with the utility owner’s requirements. 
  • Accurately determine the location of all underground utility services before excavating with powered tools and equipment.  
Ontario $100,000  Southgate Carpets Incorporated  Worker using a crowbar to remove roof trusses from the wall of a building being demolished falls from the top of the wall and suffers serious injuries.  Failure to ensure that: 

  • Materials and equipment were moved safely. 
  • The worker was protected by appropriate scaffolding, flooring, or staging while on the top of the wall. 
Ontario $90,000  Siltech Corporation  One worker is killed and the other seriously injured in an explosion that occurs while they’re transferring flammable liquid from a large container into 2 smaller metal pails.  Failure to ensure that containers and dispensing equipment were bonded and grounded when a flammable liquid is dispensed.
Ontario $85,000  John Harris Concrete Ltd.  Worker without proper training in safe tree felling practices is killed while felling a tree.  Failure to provide training on how to safety fell trees.  
British Columbia $78,369  Revelstoke Mountain Resort Inc.  Ski resort worker using utility vehicle to install parking lot signage suffers serious injury when the vehicle topples over a steep embankment as it’s being backed up.   Failure to: 

  • Ensure there was a curb or guard at the edge of the parking lot. 
  • Ensure the vehicle was equipped with a rear-view mirror. 
  • Provide adequate supervision or training on operating mobile equipment in areas with steep terrain. 
  • Ensure riders of mobile equipment used seat belts. 
British Columbia $68,479  Lane Construction Services Ltd.  Worker acting as the standby person for confined space work in a below-ground storm water tank falls 4.3 m (14 ft.) through an unsecured floor opening into the tank.  Failure to ensure that: 

  • A ventilation system was installed in a confined space to control airborne contaminants in a confined space was.
  • Atmospheric testing was done before a worker entered a confined space. 
  • Fall protection was used.  
  • Floor openings accessible to workers were securely covered or guarded. 
Québec $42,018**  Mirabel Urbain Projet immobilier inc  Three masons suffer serious injuries when the 3-storey residential building they’re working on suddenly collapses.  Failure, as project manager, to provide a safe building for masonry work. 
British Columbia $39,116  M.R. Crane Service Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspectors spot crane violations at 6-storey building construction site.  Failure to ensure that tower crane had a zone-limiting device preventing the crane from operating within the minimum distance to exposed electrical equipment or conductors, a repeat violation. 
British Columbia $28,424  Allaire Construction Inc.  WorkSafeBC inspectors spot multiple violations at townhouse complex construction site.  Failure, as prime contractor, to ensure health and safety activities were coordinated and to establish and maintain a system of regulatory compliance. 

* 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. 

** Fine imposed by a court in a case that went to trial before the employer pleaded guilty. 

Source: Bongarde 

Source: Bongarde