Organisation will ‘develop and deliver specialized ammonia safety training for first responders’
Nutrien (Canada) Holdings ULC – an agricultural crop supply company – has been penalised $125,000 over a serious workplace injury, with the penalty directed to specialised ammonia safety training for first responders.
The charges stem from an incident at a Nutrien site in Redwater on May 2, 2023, according to the Alberta government.
Workers were participating in a familiarisation tour of an ammonia rail car system when several of them were sprayed with a harmful substance.
One worker suffered a serious injury.
What are the effects of ammonia exposure?
Here are some potential health effects of ammonia, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety):
|
Category |
Potential health effects |
|
Main routes of exposure |
Inhalation. Skin contact. Eye contact. |
|
Inhalation |
VERY TOXIC, can cause death. Can cause severe irritation of the nose and throat. Can cause life-threatening accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema). Symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath, difficult breathing and tightness in the chest. Symptoms may develop hours after exposure and are made worse by physical effort. Long-term damage may result from a severe short-term exposure. |
|
Skin contact |
CORROSIVE. The gas irritates or burns the skin. Permanent scarring can result. Direct contact with the liquefied gas can chill or freeze the skin (frostbite). Symptoms of more severe frostbite include a burning sensation and stiffness. The skin may become waxy white or yellow. Blistering, tissue death and infection may develop in severe cases. |
|
Eye contact |
CORROSIVE. The gas irritates or burns the eyes. Permanent damage including blindness can result. Direct contact with the liquefied gas can freeze the eye. Permanent eye damage or blindness can result. |
|
Ingestion |
Not a relevant route of exposure (gas). |
|
Effects of long-term (chronic) exposure |
May harm the respiratory system. Can irritate and inflame the airways. |
|
Carcinogenicity |
Not known to cause cancer. |
|
— IARC |
Not specifically evaluated. |
|
— ACGIH |
Not specifically designated. |
|
Teratogenicity / Embryotoxicity |
Not known to harm the unborn child. |
|
Reproductive toxicity |
Not known to be a reproductive hazard. |
|
Mutagenicity |
Not known to be a mutagen. Conclusions cannot be drawn from the limited studies available. |
The penalty
Under the creative sentence, the court ordered Nutrien to pay $125,000 to Emergency Response Assistance Canada.
The organisation will "develop and deliver specialized ammonia safety training for first responders," the government said, including a free online curriculum.
The training will also include in-person, hands-on instruction focused on rail and industrial incidents in Alberta's Industrial Heartland.
The Crown withdrew 16 other counts as part of the guilty plea.
Sentencing framework and appeal
The OHS Act provides the creative sentence option, under which "funds that would otherwise be paid as fines are directed to an organization" or project to improve or promote workplace health and safety, the government said. Victim fine surcharges, which apply to fines payable to the Crown, are not applied to such payments.
Alberta's OHS laws set basic health and safety rules for workplaces and provide rights and protections for workers, the government said. Charges may be laid when a failure to follow the rules results in a fatality or serious injury.
The company and the Crown each have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or the penalty. The province's Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration ministry does not provide sentence documents, which are available through the Fort Saskatchewan Court of Justice.
