A Saskatchewan cattle company has been fined $25,000 after a workplace incident led to the death of a worker near Walpole.
Ramage Land & Cattle Company Ltd. pleaded guilty in Regina provincial court on Aug. 12 to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.
The charge stemmed from an incident on Aug. 23, 2023, when a worker drowned after entering a dugout on horseback.
Court heard the company failed in its duty to provide and maintain safe systems of work and a working environment that ensured, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of its employees.
The court imposed a fine of $17,857.14 and a surcharge of $7,142.86, for a total penalty of $25,000.
As part of the resolution, the company will also fund a $4,500 scholarship through Canadian Western Agribition in honour of the worker. Two educational articles are also to be published: one in The Western Producer, highlighting lessons learned for the agricultural sector, and another on the Law Society of Saskatchewan and Trial Lawyers Association websites, providing legal details of the case.
The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety said it continues to work with employers and workers to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses through education, intervention, and enforcement.