Red Deer County company sentenced for workplace fatality
A local oilfield equipment supplier will pay $360,000 related to a workplace fatality.
On Feb. 21, 2024 in the Red Deer Court of Justice, Isolation Equipment Services Inc., of Red Deer County, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to take measures to eliminate the potential danger of equipment or material that was dislodged or moved. The Crown withdrew 28 other charges under OHS legislation. The company was sentenced on April 24, 2024.
Government officials say the charges stem from an incident on a Red Deer construction site on Jan. 13, 2022. Officials say a worker operating an overhead crane was positioning a valve bonnet when the equipment released from the rigging, striking and pinning the worker. The worker sustained fatal injuries.
Officials say the company will pay $360,000 in total penalties, including a $1,000 fine. Under a creative sentence, $359,000 will be paid to Energy Safety Canada to develop supervisor and competency programs targeting those who work with new, young and inexperienced workers.