In February 2021, a 20-year-old trainee at this company fell five meters from a forklift truck used as a work platform.
The apprentice suffered a fractured vertebra. He was hospitalized in intensive care for three months and will remain quadriplegic for life.
The accident that occurred was a direct result of King Stud Contracting Ltd’s decision to avoid the expense of purchasing a safer aerial work platform
wrote Judge QD Agnew in his verdict.
The fact that less than four months after this catastrophic accident, King Stud is not requiring workers to wear basic safety equipment speaks to a general disinterest in occupational safety and an unwillingness to comply with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements
adds the judge.
According to the judge, during the last five years, the inspectors of OH S construction company cited King Stud three times for 10 violations, four of which were related to fall prevention.
As a result, King Stud is accused of using a forklift as an unsafe work platform and of improper use of fall protection equipment.
The company pleaded guilty to placing a worker on a platform without providing him with personal protective equipment against falls that meets the standards of OH S.
Regarding the level of risk, the level of danger and the foreseeability of these elements, the judge writes that this is the case all extremely high
and blindingly obvious, even to the untrained eye
.
However, what worries the judge most is the way the company is run after the accident.
On April 26, 2022, less than a year after the last violations and just over a year after the worker was injured, King Stud was again found guilty of violating hard hat and hard hat regulations
‘ says the judge.
In determining the size of the fine, Judge QD Agnew says he had to take into account the size of this small company (three to five employees) and the need to convey a strong message to it.
King Stud’s attorney proposed a total fine of $45,000 to be paid over two years, while the prosecutor asked for a $100,000 fine and a $40,000 surcharge.
Ultimately, the judge decided to fine the company $126,000.
Such a fine will be a very heavy fine
for this company based in The Hague, near Saskatoon, but without lead to the collapse of King Stud
explains the judge.
With information from Dan Zakreski
Award-winning entrepreneur. Baconaholic. Food advocate. Wannabe beer maven. Twitter ninja.
