Government of Alberta | A construction company and a concrete supplier have been penalised $218,000 collectively, relating to a serious workplace injury incident.
Keller Construction Ltd. and Alberta Concrete Pumping Ltd., as employers, both pleaded guilty in the Vegreville Court of Justice to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to ensure equipment was operated at a safe distance from an overhead power line.
The Crown withdrew eight other counts against Keller Construction Ltd. and seven other counts against Alberta Concrete Pumping Ltd.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on a construction site near Viking on 27 November 2023. A worker was seriously injured by an arc flash from equipment that moved too close to an overhead power line.
The court fined Keller Construction Ltd. $2,000 including the victim fine surcharge. Under a creative sentence, the company was also ordered to pay $130,000 to Concrete Alberta to develop an online training course for concrete pump operators.
Alberta Concrete Pumping Ltd. was fined $86,000 including the victim fine surcharge and placed on two years of enhanced regulatory supervision.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act provide a creative sentence option in which funds that would otherwise be paid as fines are directed to an organization or project to improve or promote workplace health and safety.
Both companies and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalties.
