Company admits fault after incident
A Penhold-based farm equipment dealer has been fined $108,000 after a workplace incident in Lacombe County left a worker seriously injured in 2023.
George’s Farm Centre Ltd. entered a guilty plea Sept. 19 at the Red Deer Court of Justice to one count under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code, according to a statement from the Government of Alberta. The charge was for permitting a worker to remain within range of a moving load or powered mobile equipment that posed a danger. Six additional charges were withdrawn.
The case stemmed from a June 23, 2023, incident when a worker unhitched an air seeder tank from a tractor on the side of a highway, Central Alberta reported. The tank rolled back, and the worker was injured while attempting to stop it.
As part of what the province calls a “creative sentence,” George’s Farm Centre was ordered to pay $108,000 to the University of Calgary. The funds will go toward developing hazard-recognition simulation software for workplace training. The tool is intended to be adaptable for use across different work sites.
The Government of Alberta said creative sentences allow penalties to be directed toward initiatives that promote health and safety, rather than being collected solely as fines.
Both George’s Farm Centre and the Crown have 30 days to appeal the decision.
