GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA. — A forest products company has been penalized $355,000 in relation to a workplace fatality that occurred in 2023.
Weyerhaeuser Company Limited, as an employer, pleaded guilty on May 19 in the Grande Prairie Court of Justice to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker. The Crown withdrew 12 other counts.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred at a lumber mill near Grande Prairie on Nov. 18, 2023. A worker died after using a pike pole to clear an obstruction from a machine. The pole ejected from the machine and struck the worker.
According to a release, under a creative sentence, the court ordered the company to pay the money to Northwestern Polytechnic to develop the Northern Industrial Safety Pathways Program. The program will provide structured training and tuition support for new and inexperienced workers in the forestry, oil and gas, manufacturing, mining and agriculture sectors.
The company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalty.
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