The Village of Laird has pleaded guilty in Rosthern Provincial Court to two violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on July 19, 2022, in Laird when a worker was seriously injured after they were ejected from the seat of a mower and became trapped beneath it.

The Court imposed a fine of $53,571.43 with a surcharge of $21,428.57 for each violation, for a total amount of $150,000.

The regulations the court determined the Village had contravened included fail to ensure that all work at a place of employment is sufficiently and competently supervised, resulting in the serious injury of a worker.

The Village was also cited for failure to ensure that if a defect or unsafe condition that may create a hazard to a worker is identified in the powered mobile equipment, steps are taken immediately to protect the health and safety of any worker who may be at risk until the defect is repaired or the unsafe condition is corrected and as soon as is reasonably practicable, the defect is repaired or the unsafe condition is corrected, resulting in the serious injury of a worker.