Worker was seriously injured when they were struck by a rod
Saskatchewan employer WSK Well Service Inc. was fined a total of $65,000 after one of its workers was injured in the workplace.
The company pleaded guilty to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, in Rosetown Provincial Court. They must pay a fine of $46,428.57 with a surcharge of $18,571.43.
The incident that occurred on Jan. 18, 2022, at a worksite near Elrose, Sask. A worker was seriously injured when they were struck by a rod.
The 26-year-old employee was a floor hand and had only been on the job between two and six months, court heard, according to a report from SaskToday.ca.
The incident happened on a cold, windy day, with the wind blowing loudly, according to the report. An employee above other workers was yelling to the driller that he couldn’t get the rod attached. However, the driller couldn’t hear him.
The rod dropped and struck an employee. He suffered fractured ribs and a punctured lung.
The injured worker declined providing the court with a victim impact statement, court heard, according to SaskToday.ca.
The company was fined for contravening clause 3-1 (a) of the regulations or "being an employer at a place of employment, fail to provide and maintain plant, systems of work and working environments that ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of the employers workers, resulting in the serious injury of a worker,” said the Saskatchewan government in a press release.
WSK was also charged for “failing to provide and maintain plant, systems of work and working environments that ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work,” reported SaskToday.ca.
That charge was stayed.
WSK’s fleet is comprised of eight mobile freestanding service rigs, according to the company.
