A new employee’s task ended in life-altering injuries
An asphalt research and production company has been ordered to pay $30,100 in penalties after a worker suffered third-degree burns while repairing a steam line leak at its Halifax-area facility.
General Liquids Canada Ltd., part of the Municipal Group of Companies, was sentenced Tuesday in provincial court in Dartmouth after pleading guilty to a provincial occupational health and safety charge, according to CBC News.
The incident occurred June 30, 2023, when terminal technician Mehdi Iravani, who had been on the job for just two weeks, was tasked with fixing a leak in a steam connection to a railcar at the Waverley, N.S., facility. According to an agreed statement of facts, Iravani failed to drain the line first and suffered third-degree burns to his midsection and thighs when residual water escaped.
The company’s operations involve receiving asphalt by railcar and unloading it using pressurized steam at 280 F before pumping the product out through a hose.
While Iravani had received orientation and on-the-job training and had watched others address leaks, the company failed to communicate the potential hazards or provide proper instruction, training, and supervision for the task, the court heard.
“When a worker is injured, it’s not just the worker that suffers, but also their families, their children, and the surrounding community because everybody sort of pulls together and supports them,” prosecutor Paul Niefer said outside the courtroom, according to CBC News.
Recovery complicated by emotional distress
Iravani was treated in the burn unit of the QEII Health Sciences Centre and was ready for discharge after one week but remained hospitalized for several additional days due to emotional distress. He was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and did not return to work at General Liquids for nearly two years. Iravani, who has two children, filed for bankruptcy during that period.
Recent national data illustrate the longer-term impact conditions such as PTSD can have on workers beyond physical injury. In a 2024 Statistics Canada survey, about 8% of Canadian adults reported moderate to severe symptoms of PTSD, and among adults aged 25–54 with these symptoms, one-quarter had not worked in the three months before the survey, compared with 12% without severe symptoms.
Among those who did work, 38% reported that their own physical, mental or emotional health reduced either the amount or type of work they could do “quite a bit” or “extremely”.
Defence lawyer Stan MacDonald said the company cooperated “in every way” to help Iravani return to work.
Following the incident, General Liquids spent $27,000 on enhanced protective equipment and brought in an outside consultant to review safety training and procedures, Niefer told the court.
The penalty, a joint recommendation accepted by Judge Amy Sakalauskas, includes a $14,000 fine, a $2,100 victim fine surcharge, and a $14,000 donation to the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Education Trust Fund.
General Liquids is part of Municipal Group, which includes road-building company Dexter Construction and waste management firm REgroup. The company noted it had no prior offences.
