The City of Prince Albert has pleaded guilty to a workplace health and safety violation stemming from a July 2024 incident in which an employee was struck by concrete blocks that fell from a raised dump truck box.
The municipality entered the guilty plea in Provincial Court under Saskatchewan health and safety legislation and accepted a fine of $92,857. It will also pay a court surcharge of $37,142, bringing the total financial penalty to $129,999.
The case highlights the financial and operational consequences employers can face following serious workplace incidents, while prompting the City to introduce additional safety procedures, training and oversight across its work units.
Dump Truck Incident Led to Workplace Safety Charge
The July 2024 incident occurred while a City employee was greasing the rear box of a Freightliner dump truck.
The truck box needed to be raised to allow the maintenance work to proceed. As it was lifted, two concrete blocks that had been stored in the back of the vehicle slid toward the rear. The tailgate subsequently opened, allowing the blocks to fall out of the truck and strike the employee.
The incident resulted in injuries and ultimately led to proceedings under Saskatchewan’s workplace health and safety legislation.
The substantial penalty reflects the seriousness of the incident and the injuries involved, according to information released by the City.
Prince Albert Introduces New Workplace Safety Measures
Following the incident, the City undertook a review of its existing health and safety practices and introduced a series of changes intended to improve hazard identification, employee training and compliance.
Among the measures implemented are work unit-specific job hazard assessments, commonly known as JHAs, as well as renewed toolbox safety meeting forms.
The municipality has also provided training on the development of safe operating procedures, or SOPs, and required new procedures to be developed across its various work units.
In addition, the City is implementing new safety management software designed to improve its ability to track and audit compliance with workplace safety requirements.
Audits and New Safety Committee Strengthen Oversight
Audits have been conducted to assess compliance with the City’s updated expectations covering job hazard assessments, toolbox talks and safe operating procedures. A new Occupational Health and Safety Committee has also been established at the worksite.
“This incident serves as a reminder that safety programs and policies are only effective when they are consistently applied in the workplace,” said Don Wood, Health, Safety and Environment Coordinator. “Following the incident, the City undertook a comprehensive review of its safety practices and implemented additional safeguards. Our focus is on learning from this incident and continually strengthening our safety culture to help prevent similar events in the future.”
The changes indicate a broader effort by the municipality to strengthen accountability and ensure safety requirements are incorporated into day-to-day operations rather than treated solely as administrative policies.
Saskatchewan Legislation Places Safety Duties on Employers
Saskatchewan’s occupational health and safety framework requires employers to provide workers with appropriate training and equipment to safely perform their duties, including in workplaces where conditions and tasks may change.
The legislation is intended both to protect workers and to deter future workplace incidents through enforcement measures and penalties when safety obligations are not met.
For Prince Albert, the case has resulted not only in a significant financial penalty but also in operational changes intended to reduce workplace risks.
City Emphasizes Continued Employee Participation
The City said maintaining workplace safety will require ongoing participation from employees, including identifying potential hazards, following established procedures and reporting risks.
“While we cannot change what occurred, we can learn from it and take meaningful steps to prevent similar incidents in the future,” added Wood. “The improvements implemented since this incident have strengthened our safety practices, accountability measures, and oversight processes. Safety requires ongoing commitment from all employees, and we encourage all staff to actively participate in hazard identification, follow safe work procedures, and raise concerns whenever they see a risk. Together, we can continue building a workplace where safety is embedded in everything we do.”
The guilty plea and nearly $130,000 in combined penalties close the court component of the case, while the City’s new procedures and safety management initiatives are aimed at preventing similar incidents and strengthening workplace oversight going forward.