City of Prince Albert pleads guilty to workplace safety violation, handed fines
The City of Prince Albert has pleaded guilty in Provincial Court and is taking responsibility for a workplace safety violation stemming from an incident that happened back in September 2022.
The incident happened when an employee at the worksite, who was standing upright on the ledge of a retaining wall, reached down with a metal bar to unhook the nozzle of a hose under tension in a storm line outlet. As the nozzle was lifted free, the hose retracted swiftly, pulling the employee over the side of the retaining wall.
As a result of the incident, the City accepted a $67,857 fine and is also responsible for paying a court surcharge of $27,143. In response, the City has developed a new safe work practice which includes the use of a mobile fall arrest system for use in similar circumstances, a practice that is now a leading standard in the Province.
“One workplace incident is too many,” said Don Wood, Health, Safety, and Environment Coordinator for the City of Prince Albert in a release.