GNWT fined $75K in workplace accident on ferry

A judge has fined the Government of the Northwest Territories $75,000 and one if its contractors $7,500 in relation to a workplace accident on the Abraham Francis ferry near Fort McPherson, N.W.T.

In July 2012, a supervisor ordered three contract workers from Grizzly Marine Services to loosen a cable after the ferry got stuck on some driftwood.

Two of the employees were injured when the steel cable snapped. One fell and hit his head and was unconscious for about five minutes.

The government admitted those employees weren't properly trained to work on the ferry's cables, nor were they properly supervised or wearing safety gear.

Both the government and the contractor pleaded guilty to charges under the Safety Act.

Judge Garth Malakoe fined the territorial government $75,000 for not ensuring safety at a workplace and fined Grizzly Marine Services $7,500 for not reporting the incident to the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission.

It wasn't until three days after the accident that the commission got a call from the mother of one of the injured employees.

The lawyer for Grizzly Marine Services told the judge the company wasn't trying to hide what happened and was in the process of writing a report when the call was made by the employee's mother.

As for the territorial government, Malakoe said the accident was foreseeable and risky, and all employees should have been trained and supervised.