Alberta company fined after worker dies of carbon monoxide poisoning

An Alberta company has been fined $330,000 in the death of a worker who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning on the job two years ago.

NC Equipment Ltd. — a heavy equipment rental company and dealership based in Nisku, Alta., — has been convicted of a single contravention under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Code in the 2023 death of its employee.

The company pleaded guilty to a safety violation for failing to ensure that the equipment used by the man would perform its intended function safely.

According to court documents, Jeffery Simmons died on Feb. 22, 2023, in or near Edmonton, while conducting sandblasting work for the company.

Investigators determined that he was using an air respirator equipped with a supplied air system when he was exposed to carbon monoxide.

A co-worker found him unresponsive on site. He was taken to hospital in critical, life-threatening condition but later died. 

The risks of carbon monoxide poisoning are well known. Exposure to the colourless, odourless gas in excessive levels can prove toxic, resulting in arrhythmia, seizures or death. 

According to the court documents, Simmons had been using a sandblasting system which included a portable air compressor, a Radex airline filter, a Nova blasting safety respirator, and a Mod-U-Blast sandblasting machine.

NC Equipment Ltd. was convicted July 14 and ordered to pay a total of $330,000, inclusive of a victim surcharge. 

The company had been charged with a total of 22 counts, but all other charges were dropped.

According to the company's website, the family-run operation rents and sells heavy equipment. 

When reached by phone Thursday, company officials declined to comment.