Workers injury is 'serious, permanent and irreparable'
Newfoundland and Labrador employer Transocean Canada Drilling Services has been fined $50,000 after one of its workers was badly injured in the workplace.
The sentencing—delivered Tuesday in a provincial courtroom in St. John’s—comes six years after the workplace injury aboard the Transocean Barents oil rig in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area (Offshore Area).
The incident happened on Sept. 6, 2019, when workers were preparing the rig for severe weather. During crane operations, an employee was caught between a rail and a 1,400-kilogram steel adapter.
The incident resulted in the worker being airlifted to the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s. The injuries included broken ribs, a fractured clavicle, and damage to internal organs such as the pancreas and liver.
Judge Lois Skanes described the injuries as “serious, permanent and irreparable,” and noted the worker’s victim impact statement, which detailed months of hospitalization, ongoing pain, and significant financial and emotional distress for his family.
“In the present circumstances, the offence caused not only the risk of harm but actual harm to [the worker],” Skanes said, highlighting the long-term impact on the worker’s ability to return to work and the ongoing suffering of his family.
Judge Lois Skanes imposed the fine under the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Marine Installations and Structures Occupational Health and Safety Transitional regulations. In addition, Transocean was ordered to pay $15,000 to the College of the North Atlantic to support safety programming for heavy equipment operators.
“I’m satisfied that this fine and direction of pay address the sentencing provisions, particularly to the legislation including the Criminal Code,” Judge Skanes stated in court, as reported by CBC.
The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator, formerly the provincial offshore industry regulator, laid two charges against Transocean in 2022. The company was convicted on one charge, while the second was dismissed. Judge Skanes noted that the crane operator followed company policy, but those policies did not meet regulatory requirements, directly contributing to the incident. She emphasized that “workplace safety was squarely the responsibility of Transocean as the employer”.
While Transocean does not have a prior record for this type of violation and was recognized for cooperating with the investigation and implementing corrective actions, the company’s legal counsel, Alex Templeton, told reporters that Transocean was “relatively pleased that it’s a reasonable sentencing.” However, Templeton added that the company may consider an appeal, taking issue with the reasons behind the conviction, CBC reported.
