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OHS Fines Scorecard (May 15 to June 15)

Reported OHS fines were significantly down in both volume and amount from mid-May to mid-June. There were only 13 fines of over $25,000 during the period which is just slightly below what had been the monthly average of 13.6 for the previous 5 months of 2025. The aggregate total fine amount for the May/June period was $1.565 million, the third lowest of the year. 

The average reported OHS fine this month was just $120,385, the second lowest monthly average of 2025 and well below the full-year average of $163,494. Here are the OHS fine totals for the first 6 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 
Total 81 37 $13.243  $163,494 

Source: Bongarde

6-Figure OHS Fines  

Six of the 13 significant OHS fines reported during the period were in the 6-figure range, which is basically in line with the year-long pattern. Thus, 37 of the 81 total fines reported in the first 6 months of 2025 have totaled $100,000 or more.  

The biggest fine for the period was only $350,000, which wasn’t enough to crack the Top 10 for the year. This is the first month of 2025 not to feature a Top 10 fine. Curiously, 2 of the month’s highest fines, both from Ontario, involved similar incidents of struck-by injuries caused by a forklift driven by an operator with an obstructed view and no traffic control assistance. The other overlapping violation pattern was failure to implement safe work procedures, which accounted for the month’s 2 highest fines--$350,000 for a crane lifting operation mishap in BC and $225,000 for an Ontario coke oven disaster resulting in twin fatalities.  

Ontario reported 4 of the period’s 6-figure fines. The other 2 came from BC. Alberta, which has produced 5 of the year’s Top 10 fines, was unusually quiet this month. Of the remaining Top 10 fines, 4 have come from BC and 1 from Saskatchewan. Although Ontario leads the country in reported significant OHS fines volume, it hasn’t yet handed out a fine high enough to make the Top 10.   

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

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 $575,000 Saskatchewan Machine guarding violation by steel parts manufacturer. Serious injury to 1 worker.
5 $500,000  Alberta  Hot work and OHS program violations by prime contractor resulting in welding explosion at energy site.  2 workers killed. 
6 $495,000  Alberta  Crane rigging violation by energy company*.  Fatality.
7 $374,000  Alberta Hazard assessment violation by mining equipment company*.  Fatality. 
8 $374,000  Alberta   Unspecified violation by crane company*.   Fatality.
9 $365,000  Alberta  Diving operation violations at reservoir site.  Fatality.
10 $351,059  British Columbia Prime contractor/Rooftop derrick cranes incident.  Serious injury. 

Source: Bongarde 

Ontario continues to lead Canada in reported 6-figure fines with 16, followed by Alberta with 11. BC has reported 9 fines in the 6 figures and Saskatchewan 1. 

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

Jurisdiction Reported 6-Figure Fines in 2025
1 Ontario 16
2 Alberta 11
3 British Columbia 79
4 Saskatchewan 1

Source: Bongarde

Overall OHS Fines 

BC (7), Ontario (5) and the federal government (1) were the only jurisdictions that reported significant OHS fines during the period. Here’s a breakdown of all the fines.  

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

Jurisdiction Fine Company What Happened Violation(s)
ON $350,000  Linamar Corporation, c/o/b as Linamar Gear  460-pound broach stick falls from jib crane and hits crane operator causing serious injuries.  Failure to ensure that the broach stick was lifted, carried, or moved in a safe manner. 
ON  $225,000  John Kenyon Limited  Two workers in the basket of a boom lift about 40 feet off the ground get killed as a result of coke oven mishap.  Failure to ensure that the workers didn’t perform work on the quench tower chimney during the quenching process. 
ON $200,000  Janco Steel Ltd.  Steel plant worker operating an overhead crane to move a coil is fatally struck by a forklift driven by a worker who can’t see the victim or area in front of the coil.  Failure to ensure that the forklift was directed by a signaler when its operator didn’t have a full view of intended path of travel. 
BC  $129,665  Brink Forest Products Ltd.  Worker suffers serious injury while clearing a jam of wooden blocks in waste conveyor system of trimmer machine.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure that energy sources were isolated and effectively controlled. 
  • Provide workers necessary safety information, instruction, training and supervision. 
BC  $114,128  Peter's Bros. Construction Ltd.  Highway paving workers suffer injuries in an explosion they accidentally detonated by using a flame to check for leaks in a propane line.  Failure to ensure that inspection, testing, repair, and maintenance of equipment was done according to standards or manufacturer's instructions. 
ON  $110,000  Millwick Waste Recycling Inc.  Worker is killed in a collision with a wheel-loader being operated by a worker that didn’t have a full view of the intended path of travel due to the elevated position of the loader’s bucket.   Failure to ensure that the loader was operated under the direction of a trained signaler in full view of the operator. 
BC  $88,117  ISH Energy Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspectors find multiple OHS violations at gas plant.  Failure to: 

  • Provide emergency washing facilities. 
  • Ensure workers wore eye and face protection. 
  • Prepare a written first aid assessment. 
  • Provide the required first aid attendants and equipment. 
  • Ensure that hazardous product containers had appropriate WHMIS labels. 
  • Obtain an SDS for a hazardous product. 
  • Provide workers safety information, instruction, training, and supervision. 
  • Promptly remedy unsafe conditions. 
FED  $86,000  Royal Canadian Mint  Not disclosed.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure safe storage, handling, and use of hazardous substances. 
  • Have a qualified person do an investigation when an employee is likely to be endangered by exposure to a hazardous substance. 
  • Provide appropriate eye or face PPE. 
  • Provide warnings in places with hazardous substances present. 
  • Include all known hazard information in employee education and training.  
BC  $81,796  Ruskin Construction Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspector issues a stop-work order after observing 3 workers using jackhammers to break down concrete without protection from respirable crystalline silica.   Failure to: 

  • Ensure workers used appropriate respirators. 
  • Ensure workers were clean shaven where the respirator seals with the face. 
  • Provide workers necessary safety information, instruction, training, and supervision.  
ON  $60,000  Precision Stamping  A quality technician inspecting stamped metal parts is critically injured after being pinched between 2 metal racks due to a collision with a forklift with defective brakes.   Failure to ensure that the forklift was maintained in good condition. 
BC   $43,159  Shift Energy Group Inc.  WorkSafeBC inspector spots worker on a 6:12 sloped roof wearing a fall protection harness that isn’t connected to a lifeline.  Failure to ensure use of fall protection, a repeat and high-risk violation. 
BC  $40,000  JV Roofing Limited  WorkSafeBC inspector spots worker on the edge of a flat roof of a 3-storey residential building wearing a fall protection harness that isn’t connected to a lifeline.  Failure to ensure use of fall protection, a repeat and high-risk violation. 
BC  $36,377  Brewis Electric Company Ltd  WorkSafeBC inspector spots workers using an extension ladder to install solar panels on the leading edge of a sloped roof without any fall protection.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure use of fall protection 
  • Provide workers necessary safety information, instruction, training, and supervision. 
  • 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. 

* 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. 

Source: Bongarde