Worker had filled a large cylinder with nitrogen at high pressure to check it for leaks when the cylinder's end cap failed
A stored-energy release during a high-pressure leak test in Edmonton has led to eight charges under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act against electrical distributor Guillevin International Co, according to a report.
The worker died on Oct. 21, 2024, CBC News reported. The charges were announced earlier this month and have not been proven in court.
The Montreal-based company is scheduled to make its first appearance in the Alberta Court of Justice in Edmonton on Dec. 3.
What the charges allege
According to the charges, as reported by CBC, the worker had filled a large cylinder with nitrogen at high pressure to check it for leaks when the cylinder's end cap failed. Driven by the pressure, the cap struck him and caused fatal injuries.
The charges allege the company failed to protect him from that projectile hazard. There was no cage or guard around the cylinder and no pressure-release valve, CBC reported.
Investigators also allege Guillevin failed to ensure the equipment was operated and maintained to the manufacturer's specifications and allowed the worker to be positioned "in the line of fire" of a potential hazard.
Company response
Guillevin, which CBC described as one of Canada's largest and oldest national electrical distributors with more than 120 locations, addressed the anniversary of the death in a statement to CBC News.
"This was a tragic accident, and as we mark the second anniversary this week, our thoughts remain with our colleague's family and co-workers," company officials said.
"We have co-operated fully with the Occupational Health and Safety authorities since the accident and will continue to do so," the statement continued. The company declined further comment "out of respect for the family and everyone affected by this tragedy."
How similar cases ended
Several recent Alberta struck-by prosecutions that began with multiple counts ended in a guilty plea to a single charge.
In Edmonton, TAQA Drilling Solutions was fined $126,000 after a projectile injury to a worker dismantling oilfield drilling equipment. The company pleaded guilty in June 2025 to failing to provide safeguards against objects thrown by machinery. The Crown withdrew eight other counts, including one alleging the worker was left in the line of fire.
Near Grande Prairie, Weyerhaeuser was ordered to pay $355,000 after a fatal pike pole strike at a lumber mill. The company pleaded guilty in May to one count, and the Crown withdrew 12 others. Similarly, Prairie Mines and Royalty was fined $360,000 for a worker's death by ice plug after the plug dislodged from piping near Warburg; 11 other charges were withdrawn.
Penalties under the Act
All three penalties were creative sentences, an option under the OHS Act that directs money to workplace safety initiatives instead of general revenue.
Conventional fines can be steep. A first offence carries a maximum fine of $500,000 per violation, according to the province, and fines paid to the Crown carry a 20% victim surcharge. Individuals, though not corporations, can also face up to six months in jail.
The Act also requires charges to be laid within two years of an incident, so the Guillevin charges came shortly before that deadline.
Fatality context
Fatal claims in Alberta fell last year. WCB-Alberta accepted 144 fatality claims in 2025, down from 203 in 2024, its 2025 annual report shows. Most involved occupational disease; the board's Day of Mourning figures count 39 of the 2025 deaths as trauma.
Organized labour has questioned whether penalties deter unsafe practices. In a news release earlier this year about an unrelated oilsands death, Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan argued that OHS fines are not always enough and called for police to investigate every workplace fatality.
More detail on the Guillevin case may follow its conclusion. Alberta OHS publishes fatality investigation reports online once all court proceedings are complete, according to the province.
