Weyerhaeuser Company Limited ordered to pay $355,000 following a death of a worker near Grande Prairie
A Grande Prairie lumber company has been ordered to pay $355,000 to a northern Alberta polytechnic following the fatal striking of a worker by a pike pole in 2023.
Weyerhaeuser Company Limited pleaded guilty May 19 in the Grande Prairie Court of Justice to one count under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act for failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker, the Government of Alberta said in a news release. The Crown withdrew 12 other counts, Edmonton Journal reported.
The charges stem from an incident at a lumber mill near Grande Prairie on Nov. 18, 2023, when a worker used a pike pole – a large, hooked metal-topped pole used in wood products manufacturing – to clear a blockage from a wood-chipping machine while it remained operational, according to the province. The pole was forcefully ejected from the machine and struck the worker, who later died.
The court ordered Weyerhaeuser to pay $355,000 to Northwestern Polytechnic under Section 49 of the OHS Act. The funds will support the Northern Industrial Safety Pathways Program, a three-year pilot project that will provide structured training and tuition support for new and inexperienced workers in the forestry, oil and gas, manufacturing, mining, and agriculture sectors, the province said. The company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalty.
Northwestern Polytechnic spokesperson Amanda Heiford told CBC News that the program will be delivered through a combination of online and in-person learning and will include a dedicated fund to fully cover tuition costs for 100 students.
“Northwestern Polytechnic has a proven track record of working with industry and partners,” Heiford said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work together with Alberta Occupational Health and Safety and are excited to advance this new pilot initiative.”
Craig Kennedy, a lumber industry safety consultant based in Salmon Arm, B.C., told CBC News the training program could play a positive role in preventing similar incidents.
