Swift Current company fined $42,000 for 2014 sewer deaths
A Swift Current company, J&D Sewer Services, has been fined a total of $42,000 for failing to provide adequate safety training to two Calgary men who died in a workplace accident near Fox Valley, Sask., located approximately 426 kilometres west of Regina.
The incident took place in 2014.
The fines were levied against the company for failing to ensure the workers were properly trained before they were placed in the field, and failure to take the necessary steps to prevent workers from being exposed to a hazardous substance, resulting in the deaths.
The workers died after being exposed to hydrogen sulfide in a sewer line.
Exposure to hydrogen sulfide can result in reactions as minor as a runny nose — depending on exposure — to acute respiratory failure.
Excess inhalation of the chemical is known to cause immediate loss of consciousness and death.
The company was fined $15,000 for the death of each worker, plus a $6,000 surcharge in each case.
