Calgary company to pay $200K penalty for worker's death in 2021

A Calgary steel fabrication company was hit with $200,000 in penalties after a workplace death.

Glenmore Fabricators Limited pleaded guilty to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety Code for failing to develop and comply with procedures certified by a professional engineer.

The charges stem from an incident at the company's Calgary facility in 2021. A worker was moving a steel beam with an overhead crane when the beam fell from its rigging and struck the worker, causing injuries that led to their death.

The company was sentenced on Tuesday in the Calgary Court of Justice. The Crown withdrew 10 other charges under OHS legislation.

The $200,000 in penalties includes a $1,000 fine, $174,000 paid to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology to purchase equipment to support the electrical and welding apprenticeship programs, and $25,000 to the Manufacturers' Health & Safety Association to enhance its Rigging Resource Centre website.

Glenmore Fabricators was also placed on two years of enhanced regulatory supervision.

The company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalties. The $1,000 fine includes a 20 per cent victim fine surcharge, which applies to fines payable to the Crown.

The penalties were levied due to the Occupational Health and Safety Act's creative sentence option, where funds that would otherwise be paid as fines are instead directed to an organization or project to improve or promote workplace health and safety.