An Alberta-based equipment supplier has been fined $350,000 after pleading guilty to an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) violation related to a workplace fatality.
Excel Projects Ltd. was sentenced on Jan. 27 in the Edson Court of Justice for failing to ensure an operational control on equipment could not be unintentionally activated. The charge stemmed from a March 5, 2022, incident at the company’s Edson facility, where a worker was fatally injured while preparing equipment for transport. The equipment unexpectedly activated, pulling the worker into the machinery.
The company pleaded guilty to one count under the OHS Code, while 19 other charges were withdrawn. As part of the sentence, Excel Projects Ltd. was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, inclusive of a 20 per cent victim fine surcharge, and direct $345,000 toward scholarships for heavy equipment operator students at Olds College and Portage College.
Under the terms of the creative sentence, $225,000 will be allocated to Olds College and $120,000 to Portage College, supporting students who demonstrate a strong commitment to workplace safety.
Both the company and the Crown have 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalties.
Alberta’s OHS laws establish health and safety standards for workplaces across the province. Employers are responsible for ensuring compliance, and charges may be laid when a failure to follow these rules results in a fatality or serious injury.
