Excerpt from the OH&S Canada magazine and the Canadian Occupational Safety (The Safety Standard)
A Saskatchewan company was fined $70,000 on August 22, 2018 over worker injury last year.
The charges stem from an incident that took place on January 30, 2017 in Saskatoon were a worker employed by Wright Construction Western Inc. sustained a serious hip injury after the scissor lift that the worker was unloading from a flatbed trailer drove off the ramp and overturned.
The company was fined $50,000 plus a surcharge of $20,000 after pleading guilty to one count under Occupational Health & Safety regulations in Saskatoon provincial Court. One additional charge was stayed.
My opinion
Wright Construction Western Inc. of Saskatoon pleaded guilty to one count under Occupational Health and Safety regulations in Saskatoon Provincial Court on August 22, 2018.
Wright Construction Western Inc. pleaded guilty to contravening clause 12(a) of the regulations (being an employer at a place of employment, fail in the provision and maintenance of plant, systems of work and working environments that ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare at work of the employer’s workers, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).
Everyone is responsible for workplace health and safety, with employers having the most care and control in the workplace.
To learn more about rights and responsibilities in the workplace, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/business/safety-in-the-workplace
Saskatchewan has been working very hard to reduce injuries in their province but it seems that between Oct. 12, 2017 and Aug. 31, 2018 there were 37 deaths in the workplace.
“Workplace fatalities are higher than we have seen in the past few years,” said Phil Germain, vice-president of prevention at the WCB. “As employers, workers and professional organizations, together we must take steps to reverse the trend. The solutions will come from everyone working together.”
Over the past 15 years, WCB data show workplace fatalities averaged 37 per year in Saskatchewan. In 2017, the province saw 27 fatalities — the lowest number of fatalities in that time-frame.
“All workplace fatalities are preventable,” Germain said. “We all need to step up to make our workplaces safer. All organizations, no matter their size, should be investing in their own safety programs and make safety a key part of their cultures. Safety belongs to each of us individually as much as it is a collective concern. Working safely is just smart business and it’s the right thing to do.”
As the reader can see, the need to prevent occupational incidents/accidents is a full-time concern. If we slip in Due Diligence, even a little, the workforce will be at risk.
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Canada, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
VP & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.