Canadian Occupational Safety | A Manitoba government department has been fined $100,000 following the 2022 workplace death of a Manitoba Wildfire Service employee in an all-terrain vehicle rollover near The Pas.
The penalty was imposed in provincial court in The Pas against what is now known as the Department of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, in connection with the death of 23-year-old initial attack fire crew leader Riley Pich‑Manych.
The department has up to one year to pay the total fine.
According to an agreed statement of facts presented in court, Pich‑Manych and three co-workers were servicing all-terrain vehicles on 11 July 2022 so they could be used in a training exercise the following day. After the maintenance work, the group took the ATVs out for test drives, during which some of the machines became stuck in mud near the Grace Lake fire base, close to The Pas.
One ATV was recovered using a winch attached to another vehicle, but the battery on a second ATV died while the crew was attempting to free it, the court heard. Pich‑Manych then set out on an ATV to retrieve a battery booster. During that trip, his vehicle rolled, causing serious injuries, according to the report.
He was transported to St. Anthony’s General Hospital in The Pas and later flown to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. He was taken off life support the following day. A post-mortem examination confirmed he died from head injuries sustained in the rollover.
The court was told that workers operating the ATVs were wearing hard hats rather than helmets specifically designed for off-road vehicle use. Counsel for the province, lawyer Danny Gunn, said hard hats had been accepted as personal protective equipment for ATV operators under a previous exemption, but that exemption had expired before the incident, according to the report.
Lawyer Josh Weinstein, representing the department, told the court the department would plead guilty to three offences:
- Failing to adequately train employees.
- Failing to adequately supervise them.
- Failing to provide appropriate helmets.
The court imposed fines of $40,000 on each of the first two counts and $20,000 on the third. A fourth charge was stayed.
Judge Todd Rambow said Pich‑Manych’s age influenced the size of the penalty, noting that he was still considered a young worker under Manitoba labour law at the time of his death. The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba defines a young worker as anyone between 15 and 24 years of age.
The court heard that, following Pich‑Manych’s death, new regulations were introduced dealing with training, safety equipment and vehicle use, according to the report. Those changes were described in court as measures aimed at improving how workers are trained to use ATVs and what protective equipment is required when operating them.