* An agricultural crop supply company has been penalized $125,000 related to a workplace injury incident.

Nutrien (Canada) Holdings ULC, as an employer, pleaded guilty on June 10 in the Fort Saskatchewan Court of Justice to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act for failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker. The Crown withdrew 16 other counts.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred at a site in Fort Saskatchewan on May 2, 2023. Workers were participating in a familiarization tour of an ammonia rail car system when several workers were sprayed with a harmful substance. One worker suffered a serious injury.

Under a creative sentence, the court ordered the company to pay $125,000 to Emergency Response Assistance Canada. The organization will develop and deliver specialized ammonia safety training for first responders, including free online curriculum and in-person, hands-on training focused on rail and industrial incidents in Alberta's Industrial Heartland.

The company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalty.

Alberta's OHS laws set basic health and safety rules for workplaces across the province. They provide guidance for employers to help them ensure their workplaces are as healthy and safe as possible while providing rights and protections for workers. Charges under OHS laws may be laid when failing to follow the rules results in a fatality or serious injury.

Quick facts

* Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration does not provide sentence documents. These are available through the Fort Saskatchewan Court of Justice.

* The OHS Act provides a creative sentence option in which funds that would otherwise be paid as fines are directed to an organization or project to improve or promote workplace health and safety.

* Victim fine surcharges apply to fines payable to the Crown. They are not applied to payments to other entities under creative sentences.