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ARCAN fined $20K for telehandler incident in Fort Simpson, N.W.T.

The Yellowknife courthouse. An N.W.T. construction company has been convicted and fined under the territory’s Safety Act for a workplace incident that took place nearly two years ago.  (Walter Strong/CBC - image credit)
The Yellowknife courthouse. An N.W.T. construction company has been convicted and fined under the territory’s Safety Act for a workplace incident that took place nearly two years ago. (Walter Strong/CBC - image credit)

An N.W.T. construction company has been convicted and fined under the territory's Safety Act for a workplace incident that took place nearly two years ago.

In April 2021, an employee of Arctic Canada Construction Ltd. (ARCAN) was thrown to the ground from a telehandler while on the job in Fort Simpson. The telehandler was equipped with outriggers that were meant to stabilize it, but they weren't engaged at the time, according to the Workers Safety & Compensation Commission.

Company president Aaron Doyle said the incident re-aggravated an existing shoulder injury, from which the worker later recovered.

In territorial court Friday, the company was fined $20,000 to be paid to the Worker's Protection Fund, along with a $3,000 victim surcharge.

Doyle said the biggest thing he's learned from the experience "is to pay more attention to the mental health status of our employees."

"It seems that since COVID has hit, it's been one of the bigger things that we've had to deal with and we didn't put enough emphasis on it back then because it was still fresh," he said.

Doyle said his staff are unlikely to experience any similar incidents in the near future.

"We've put some additional policies and procedures in place to ensure that the supervision is adequate and experienced," he said.

As for the employee who was injured, Doyle said that while he's not currently on the job, the company is regularly in touch and he's doing fine.