Issues $126K fine while citing several violations before and after fall from forklift
A judge in Saskatoon blasted King Stud Contracting Ltd. in a written decision that resulted in a $126,000 fine.
Judge Q.D. Agnew outlined several violations that had taken place before and after a 20-year-old man was seriously injured, rendering him a quadriplegic for life, and stated the company has showed a “general lack of interested in worker safety.”
The incident happened in February 2021, when the apprentice worker fell five metres from a forklift that was being improperly used as a platform. The young man suffered a spinal fracture and spent three months in intensive care.
"The accident occurred as a direct result of King Stud choosing to avoid the expense of buying a safer work platform," the judge wrote in his 10-page decision, according to a CBC report.
"The fact that less than four months after a catastrophic accident King Stud was not requiring workers to wear basic safety equipment speaks to a general lack of interest in worker safety and a lack of willingness to comply with OHS [Occupational Health and Safety] requirements."
The judge also noted King Stud had been cited three times for ten violations over the past five years, with four of those related to fall prevention and safety. The company had also been told not to use the forklift as a platform six months before the accident.
Then, after the accident, in April 2022, King Stud was found in violation of both hard-hat and fall protection requirements again.
In assessing the fine, the judge felt he needed to balance the size of the company against the desire to send a stern message. The company suggested $45,000 while the prosecutor asked for a total of $140,000.
The company was fined $90,000 plus a $36,000 surcharge, totalling $126,000.
