Global Sports Resources Ltd., a recreation facility equipment supplier, has been fined $200,000 following a workplace fatality in which a worker was fatally injured during a demolition project. The company pleaded guilty to a charge under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to take adequate safety measures to secure equipment and materials that could pose a hazard to workers.The incident occurred on March 31, 2022, at an arena in Tofield, where a worker was conducting demolition and reclamation work. During the job, a support beam detached and struck the worker, causing a fall from a ladder that resulted in fatal injuries. In the Sherwood Park Court of Justice, the company was sentenced on October 31 and ordered to pay $200,000, which includes a $25,000 fine with a 20% victim surcharge. Five additional OHS charges against Global Sports Resources Ltd. were withdrawn, along with seven charges against Reward Construction Ltd., a subcontractor on the project.In a unique approach, the court applied a “creative sentence” under Alberta’s OHS Act, redirecting $175,000 of the total penalty toward workplace safety initiatives. Global Sports Resources Ltd. was ordered to pay $75,000 to STARS Air Ambulance, supporting operational costs, and $100,000 to the Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association for a “line-of-fire” awareness campaign and online training to educate workers on staying clear of hazardous zones during high-risk tasks.The company was also placed under two years of enhanced regulatory supervision, requiring it to complete several safety-related improvements to its internal procedures.Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act allows for creative sentencing, which directs penalty funds to projects that promote workplace safety, such as education initiatives and enhanced safety supervision for convicted companies. Both Global Sports Resources Ltd. and the Crown have 30 days to appeal the sentencing or penalties.
Global Sports Resources Ltd., a recreation facility equipment supplier, has been fined $200,000 following a workplace fatality in which a worker was fatally injured during a demolition project. The company pleaded guilty to a charge under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to take adequate safety measures to secure equipment and materials that could pose a hazard to workers.The incident occurred on March 31, 2022, at an arena in Tofield, where a worker was conducting demolition and reclamation work. During the job, a support beam detached and struck the worker, causing a fall from a ladder that resulted in fatal injuries. In the Sherwood Park Court of Justice, the company was sentenced on October 31 and ordered to pay $200,000, which includes a $25,000 fine with a 20% victim surcharge. Five additional OHS charges against Global Sports Resources Ltd. were withdrawn, along with seven charges against Reward Construction Ltd., a subcontractor on the project.In a unique approach, the court applied a “creative sentence” under Alberta’s OHS Act, redirecting $175,000 of the total penalty toward workplace safety initiatives. Global Sports Resources Ltd. was ordered to pay $75,000 to STARS Air Ambulance, supporting operational costs, and $100,000 to the Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association for a “line-of-fire” awareness campaign and online training to educate workers on staying clear of hazardous zones during high-risk tasks.The company was also placed under two years of enhanced regulatory supervision, requiring it to complete several safety-related improvements to its internal procedures.Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act allows for creative sentencing, which directs penalty funds to projects that promote workplace safety, such as education initiatives and enhanced safety supervision for convicted companies. Both Global Sports Resources Ltd. and the Crown have 30 days to appeal the sentencing or penalties.
