More than 60 per cent of worker's body was burned at workplace
SaskPower has been fined $500,000 plus a surcharge of $200,000 after one worker was electrocuted in the workplace, according to a report.
The incident happened on May 9, 2022, when Blayne McKay was left alone on a high-energy unit to take measurements. McKay was employed by Flatlander Scaffolding – a company contracted by SaskPower to do work at the Island Falls Hydroelectric Station.
When he put his tape measure in the air, a transformer arched.
"I got electrocuted [with] 110,000 volts and then I burst into flames," McKay told CTV News.
SaskPower pleaded guilty of failing to ensure working conditions are a safe distance from an exposed energized electrical conductor – a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.
During sentencing on Thursday, Judge Thomas Healey said McKay was not certified to work around electricity, and SaskPower was negligent.
"The injuries suffered by McKay were, and are, horrendous," the judge said, according to the CTV News report.
Worker won’t get a penny from fine
The fine imposed by the court is the largest fine resulting from an individual workplace injury in Saskatchewan, Crown Prosecutor Buffy Rodgers said, according to the report.
However, McKay won’t get any of that money.
"I don't get any of it, so it's not really benefiting me in any way," McKay said.
Workplace fines are deposited into the government's general revenue fund, and he has received financial support from the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB), even though what he has gotten is only a fraction of his former wage, according to the report.
Because McKay accepted workers' compensation, he said he's not eligible to receive the victim surcharge or launch a lawsuit.
"I've talked to hundreds of lawyers, there's nothing I can do. I should be able to sue these guys for this, but I'm not allowed to because I accepted WCB," McKay said.
