Company fined $84,000 for worker fatality

Kevin’s Custom Ag Ltd. pleaded guilty in Nipawin Provincial Court on Sept. 25 to one violation of Saskatchewan’s The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

The company was charged with contravening clause 24-8 (2) (b) of the regulations (being an employer fail to provide and maintain approved blasting hoods supplied with air that is clean and at a reasonable temperature for workers engaged in abrasive blasting, resulting in the death of a worker).

As a result, the court imposed a fine of $60,000, along with a surcharge of $24,000, for a total amount of $84,000.

The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on Feb. 23, 2023, in Nipawin, Sask. A worker was fatally injured as a result of carbon monoxide exposure while using a sandblaster.