SASKATOON COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO OHS CHARGES

A Saskatoon company pleaded guilty to two counts under The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act in Saskatoon Provincial Court on September 20, 2012.

Lonesome Prairie Sand & Gravel was fined a total of $9,100 relating to an incident which occurred in November of 2009 near the Whitecap Dakota First Nation that left a worker with serious injuries while grinding the inside of a rock crusher cone. The company pleaded guilty to:

• failing to ensure work at a place of employment is sufficiently and competently supervised; and 
• failing to ensure the hoist used to lift the cone and liner from the rock crusher was constructed and operated to perform the task safely.

Two additional charges against Lonesome Prairie Sand & Gravel were stayed in court.

OHS conducts approximately 4,500 worksite inspections annually to ensure standards are known and enforced. In 2012-13, there have been 11 convictions for non-compliance of OHS regulations and nearly $515,000 in fines.

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For more information, contact:

Jennifer Veri
Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1331