Company pleads guilty to an OHS charge
An Alberta steel fabrication company has been ordered to pay $90,000 after a worker was seriously injured when a steel beam fell during a material handling operation three years ago.
The Alberta government announced Friday that Steele Tech Fabrication faced the penalty following an incident at its fabrication plant near Barrhead on March 17, 2022.
According to the government’s news release, the worker was helping move a steel I-beam out of the shop using a telehandler forklift, which features forks mounted on a long, telescoping boom. The beam fell off the forks and struck the worker, who was walking behind to guide the load.
The victim, whose identity was not disclosed, suffered what officials described as “serious” injuries. The specific nature of the injuries was not detailed in the announcement.
Steele Tech pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Following the guilty plea, the Crown withdrew four other counts against the company.
In what officials called a “creative” sentence, the $90,000 fine will be directed to Barrhead Composite High School to improve the school’s shop and welding/fabrication laboratories rather than being paid to the government.
The company will also face 18 months of enhanced regulatory supervision as part of the penalty.
