“Sean Tucker, a professor of occupational health and safety at the University of Regina says that’s because many provinces don’t have the ability to issue hefty fines directly to workplaces that put employees in harm’s way.
Instead, they can only order employers to fix violations — with no fines — or they can try to pursue large fines in court, which is costly and can take years, he said.
In an email statement to Go Public, Gateway Co-op said, “the incident was caused by an unauthorized piece of equipment being brought into one of our facilities by a then Gateway Co-op employee.”
Tucker says charges under Saskatchewan’s occupational health and safety law should be considered in Wil’s case, especially since another young employee got sick after using the gas pressure washer a day earlier.
But that would require Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety to pursue charges through the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry tells Go Public it’s not doing that, at least for now.
“However, charges can be filed any time within two years from the date of the incident if new or additional evidence warrants it,” a spokesperson for the ministry told Go Public in an email.”
Add comment