HTK Iron Works Ltd., a metal fabricating company, has been fined $360,000 after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a fatal workplace accident in February 2023. The company admitted to one count under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, which requires employers to ensure the health and safety of workers, and received its sentence on Oct. 2 in Medicine Hat Court of Justice.
The charges were related to an incident at a metal fabrication shop near Burdett, where a worker was fatally injured on Feb. 1, 2023. According to court documents, the worker was struck by a windbreak panel that fell from a moving forklift.
As part of a plea agreement, the Crown withdrew four additional OHS charges against HTK Iron Works Ltd. The fine includes a 20 per cent victim fine surcharge, a common component in workplace safety convictions to support victims and their families.
Both HTK Iron Works Ltd. and the Crown have 30 days from the sentencing date to appeal the decision or the penalties imposed.