The City of Prince Albert has pleaded guilty in Provincial Court to a violation of the Saskatchewan Health and Safety Act. The city will be fined $67,857 and a court surcharge of $27,143.
The incident dates back September 2022 and occurred when an employee was pulled over the side of a retaining wall from a retracting hose. The employee was standing upright on the ledge of the retaining wall and 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 and pulled the employee over the side of the retaining wall.
Don Wood, Health, Safety, and Environment Coordinator for the City of Prince Albert, said the City has accepted the decision.
“One workplace incident is too many,” Wood said in a press release. “The safety of our employees is an ongoing commitment, and we acknowledge the significance of this incident, the impact it has had on the individual and the responsibility we have to ensure our employees are properly trained and equipped to perform their jobs safely.”
As a result of the incident, the City of Prince Albert has developed a new safe work practice that will involve the use of a mobile fall arrest system for use in similar circumstances.
“Our employees operate in various workspaces and surroundings, presenting unique and sometimes dangerous circumstances,” Wood said. “While this incident was the consequence of rare circumstances, the resulting procedure equips our employees with a better standard going forward and will serve as a tool for other workplaces in Saskatchewan to help improve the safety of employees across the province.”
The fine will be paid from the City’s Fiscal Stabilization fund.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
