Agricultural firm fined $125K in 2023 workplace injury case

An agricultural crop supply company has been ordered to pay $125,000 after it was found guilty for its role in a worker’s injury three years ago.

Nutrien (Canada) Holdings ULC pleaded guilty on Wednesday in a Fort Saskatchewan court to one count of failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, the Alberta ministry of jobs, economy, trade and immigration said Monday in a media release.

The guilty plea comes after an incident in Fort Saskatchewan on May 2, 2023, when several workers were sprayed with a harmful substance during a tour of an ammonia rail-car system. One worker was seriously injured.

In sentencing, the court ordered Nutrien to pay $125,000 to Emergency Response Assistance Canada to develop and deliver specialized ammonia safety training for first responders.

The firm and Crown prosecutors have 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalty.

The Saskatoon-based Nutrien is one of the world’s largest producers of potash, which is used in agricultural fertilizers.

The city of Fort Saskatchewan borders northeast Edmonton.