(Wil Krotenko), who lives in Canora, Sask., about 235 kilometres northeast of Regina, says he started feeling sick soon after starting his shift on Oct. 23 when his manager tasked him with cleaning enclosed areas of the meat department with a gas-powered pressure washer.
“I started feeling lightheaded and dizzy,” Wil told Go Public. He says he staggered to the front of the store. “And I guess that’s when I collapsed.”
His condition was so serious that Wil had to be airlifted to Misericordia Community Hospital in Edmonton with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.
Just the day before Wil was poisoned, another teen employee went home sick after using the gas pressure washer.
What’s needed, says Tucker, are Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) — severe fines that fill the gap between written orders to fix problems and court prosecution.
The (Saskatchewan) labour ministry told Go Public it has no plans to implement AMPs.
Just Scott Moe taking care of his constituents. /s
Forget about going after the company. Honestly, they are right to claim that the incident isn’t their fault as it was caused by a manager breaking protocol.
But this manager should be charged with attempted murder. There is no excuse for telling an employee to work in an enclosed room with a gas-powered machine.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Sean Tucker, a professor of occupational health and safety at the University of Regina says that’s because many provinces don’t have the ability to issue hefty fines directly to workplaces that put employees in harm’s way.
There are minor fines that can be issued in some provinces without court action, called summary offence ticketing, but those don’t apply in Wil’s case, according to Tucker.
What’s needed, says Tucker, are Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) — severe fines that fill the gap between written orders to fix problems and court prosecution.
Tucker says charges under Saskatchewan’s occupational health and safety law should be considered in Wil’s case, especially since another young employee got sick after using the gas pressure washer a day earlier.
“However, charges can be filed any time within two years from the date of the incident if new or additional evidence warrants it,” a spokesperson for the ministry told Go Public in an email.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to long-term neurological, cognitive, physical and emotional problems according to Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta and an emergency physician.
The original article contains 1,151 words, the summary contains 191 words. Saved 83%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
