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2 Alberta companies ordered to pay $550K over OHS violations related to welders' deaths

2 Alberta companies ordered to pay $550K over OHS violations related to welders' deaths

CBC04-05-2025

Two Alberta companies have admitted to violating provincial occupational health and safety rules over a workplace explosion that killed two men at an oil and gas site north of Edmonton in 2022.
The companies have been ordered to pay more than half a million dollars in fines and penalties, with most of the money going toward safety awareness and education initiatives.
Welders Greg Podulsky, 29, and Darcy Schwindt, 47, were working on top of a tank on Nov. 12., 2022, when an explosion occurred within a tank storage facility, fatally injuring them.
Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. and Peace Pipefitting Inc. each pleaded guilty to one count of violating Alberta's OHS Act on Wednesday in the Slave Lake Court of Justice.
Justice Robert Marceau accepted a joint submission from the companies, which included fines and creative sentences.
Tamarack must pay $500,000, with most of the money going toward workplace safety initiatives and programming run by CAREERS: The Next Generation Foundation, a non-profit that works with Alberta youth, Energy Safety Canada, a safety organization, and Threads of Life, a charity that supports people affected by workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths.
Brian Schmidt, Tamarack Energy's CEO, said his company has supported the workers' families by funding scholarships and marked the deaths within the company with a moment of silence at work last year.
Schmidt said dealing with these tragedies has been the most difficult experience yet for his Calgary company.
"We're a small company and there are not a ton of employees, so when something like this happens, it's quite traumatic," he said Friday in an interview.
He also said it's important for the industry to do what it can to support the welders' families and share learnings with other companies.
"We changed their lives permanently," he said.
Peace Pipefitting must pay a $50,000 penalty, $30,000 of which will go toward programming at Threads of Life.
The company, which did not respond to a request for comment, has also been placed on enhanced regulatory supervision for two years.
Charlene Nahamko, Podulsky's mother, said she wore a sweatshirt bearing a photograph of her son to court this week.
"I wanted them to know he wasn't just a contractor," she said.
She said it was shocking to learn more about the circumstances of her son's death but becoming involved with Threads of Life has helped her carry her sadness and anger in a different way.
"It's time for us to put that behind us and move forward with Greg's legacy and push with the safety and the education," she said.
Schwindt's family members said in a written statement shared with CBC News that they are relieved to finally have closure on the investigation and are happy to see fines go toward educating students and preventing similar tragedies.
"We are looking forward to moving forward and hope that Darcy will be remembered not for the accident that took his life, but for the amazing son, brother, uncle and friend he was to all of us," the family members said.
According to a spokesperson for Occupational Health Safety, Voltegic Energy Services Ltd., which was also charged last year over this incident, is scheduled to be sentenced May 28.
Charges against a numbered company were stayed last year.
In 2024, 203 people died because of workplace injury or illness in Alberta — up from 165 in 2023.

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2 Alberta companies ordered to pay $550K over OHS violations related to welders' deaths
2 Alberta companies ordered to pay $550K over OHS violations related to welders' deaths

CBC

time04-05-2025

  • CBC

2 Alberta companies ordered to pay $550K over OHS violations related to welders' deaths

Two Alberta companies have admitted to violating provincial occupational health and safety rules over a workplace explosion that killed two men at an oil and gas site north of Edmonton in 2022. The companies have been ordered to pay more than half a million dollars in fines and penalties, with most of the money going toward safety awareness and education initiatives. Welders Greg Podulsky, 29, and Darcy Schwindt, 47, were working on top of a tank on Nov. 12., 2022, when an explosion occurred within a tank storage facility, fatally injuring them. Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. and Peace Pipefitting Inc. each pleaded guilty to one count of violating Alberta's OHS Act on Wednesday in the Slave Lake Court of Justice. Justice Robert Marceau accepted a joint submission from the companies, which included fines and creative sentences. Tamarack must pay $500,000, with most of the money going toward workplace safety initiatives and programming run by CAREERS: The Next Generation Foundation, a non-profit that works with Alberta youth, Energy Safety Canada, a safety organization, and Threads of Life, a charity that supports people affected by workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. Brian Schmidt, Tamarack Energy's CEO, said his company has supported the workers' families by funding scholarships and marked the deaths within the company with a moment of silence at work last year. Schmidt said dealing with these tragedies has been the most difficult experience yet for his Calgary company. "We're a small company and there are not a ton of employees, so when something like this happens, it's quite traumatic," he said Friday in an interview. He also said it's important for the industry to do what it can to support the welders' families and share learnings with other companies. "We changed their lives permanently," he said. Peace Pipefitting must pay a $50,000 penalty, $30,000 of which will go toward programming at Threads of Life. The company, which did not respond to a request for comment, has also been placed on enhanced regulatory supervision for two years. Charlene Nahamko, Podulsky's mother, said she wore a sweatshirt bearing a photograph of her son to court this week. "I wanted them to know he wasn't just a contractor," she said. She said it was shocking to learn more about the circumstances of her son's death but becoming involved with Threads of Life has helped her carry her sadness and anger in a different way. "It's time for us to put that behind us and move forward with Greg's legacy and push with the safety and the education," she said. Schwindt's family members said in a written statement shared with CBC News that they are relieved to finally have closure on the investigation and are happy to see fines go toward educating students and preventing similar tragedies. "We are looking forward to moving forward and hope that Darcy will be remembered not for the accident that took his life, but for the amazing son, brother, uncle and friend he was to all of us," the family members said. According to a spokesperson for Occupational Health Safety, Voltegic Energy Services Ltd., which was also charged last year over this incident, is scheduled to be sentenced May 28. Charges against a numbered company were stayed last year. In 2024, 203 people died because of workplace injury or illness in Alberta — up from 165 in 2023.

Companies to pay $550K for safety programs after deaths of two welders on Alberta oil and gas site
Companies to pay $550K for safety programs after deaths of two welders on Alberta oil and gas site

Calgary Herald

time02-05-2025

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Companies to pay $550K for safety programs after deaths of two welders on Alberta oil and gas site

Article content A pair of oilfield companies has agreed to pay more than a half-million dollars to fund worker safety programs after a deadly accident at a northern Alberta oil and gas site. Article content Article content Greg Podulsky, 29, and Darcy Schwindt, 47, were killed Nov. 12, 2022, while welding a tank in the Marten Hills oil and gas field near Slave Lake. The tanks had not been properly cleaned and exploded when the men began to weld on them, legal documents state. Article content Article content On Wednesday, Tamarack Valley Energy and Peace Pipefitting Inc. admitted in Slave Lake Court of Justice to a single count under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Tamarack agreed to pay $500,000, with the majority going toward workplace safety training and victim support services. Article content Article content 'He won't just be 'that welder in the explosion,' and I'm not going to be just 'that welder's mom,'' she said. 'Eventually that will fade, and he'll have a legacy, and we'll know that he didn't die in vain.' Article content Tamarack, the prime contractor on the site, admitted it did not adequately establish a system to ensure compliance with health and safety laws — specifically in the aftermath of its amalgamation with Deltastream Energy Corporation. It also admitted its rules around welding on equipment that previously contained hydrocarbons — known as 'hot work' — were inadequate. Article content Article content As part of the plea, Tamarack agreed to a 'creative' sentence aimed at preventing future incidents. Article content Article content Around $225,000 of the penalty will go to CAREERS to create a welding and explosion safety awareness training program for high school students. The program will include a virtual reality simulator to teach students about identifying safety hazards in hot work areas and confined spaces. VR headsets will be made available at trade fairs and school programs across the province. The money will also fund welding safety scholarships.

Alberta company facing OHS charges in 2023 carbon monoxide poisoning death
Alberta company facing OHS charges in 2023 carbon monoxide poisoning death

CBC

time04-10-2024

  • CBC

Alberta company facing OHS charges in 2023 carbon monoxide poisoning death

A Nisku, Alta., company has been charged for violating Alberta's OHS Act and OHS Code after a worker died of carbon monoxide poisoning last year. According to court documents, Jeffery Simmons died at a work site at or near Edmonton on Feb. 22, 2023. The province's website says he was exposed to carbon monoxide while conducting sandblasting work using an air respirator with a supplied air system. A co-worker found him unresponsive. "Despite medical treatment, the injured worker succumbed to their injury," the website says. AHS spokesperson Kerry Williamson said EMS arrived at 506 19th Ave in Nisku at about 11:51 a.m. and took one patient to hospital in critical, life-threatening condition. NC Equipment Ltd. was charged with 22 counts of contravening the Occupation Health and Safety (OHS) Act and OHS Code. The charges, which were laid on Sept. 18., include failing to adequately maintain equipment, failing to ensure a worker was adequately trained and failing to determine the degree of danger to a worker at a work site. The charges have not been proven in court. The province's OHS employer database shows there was a stop work order and a stop use order issued for the company on Feb. 23, 2023, a day after the workplace fatality. The employer complied with the orders. According to NC Equipment's website, the family-run company rents and sells heavy equipment. When reached by phone by CBC News, the company declined to comment at this time.

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