Worker was pinned by ladder rail, part of a truck
A contractor at the De Beers-owned Gahcho Kue diamond mine in the Northwest Territories has been fined $200,000 for the death of one worker back in 2022.
SMS Equipment must pay the total amount – which includes a 30 per cent victims of crime surcharge – as they failed to inform the worker of the risks he was facing in that workplace, according to a CBC report.
This comes after, in September 2023, charges were filed against SMS in relation to the fatal incident.
The incident happened on Sept. 1, 2022, when 27-year-old SMS heavy equipment technician Max Paczulla was working on the hydraulic system of a boarding ladder for one of the massive haul trucks at the mine, according to the report.
A De Beers employee was also working on the truck.
The truck was locked out when Paczulla arrived. Then, the De Beers worker removed the lock out key to allow the ladder system to be tested, and then stepped away to get parts for the job.
As the De Beers worker was leaving, Paczulla asked them if there was a way to operate the ladder from the ground. The employee pointed to a switch near the lower part of the ladder and told Paczulla how to use it, according to the CBC report.
Following that interaction, Paczulla was pinned between the ladder rail and part of the truck. He suffered serious injuries from the incident and later died.
An N.W.T. territorial court judge imposed the fine on SMS in a Yellowknife courtroom on Friday. Earlier that day, SMS pleaded guilty to one Workplace Safety Act charge in relation to the incident.
