City fined for fatal road accident

The City of St. John’s was fined a total of $23,000 after entering guilty pleas to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act Monday in relation to an accident on the Outer Ring Road on July 5, 2011 that killed worker and seriously injured two others.

The city also had to pay $37,000 for an order issued under Section 69(1)b of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The $37,000 is to be paid to OHS to go toward public education on safety. Several other charges were withdrawn. On that day in July 2011, employees of Irving Oil, the Department of Transportation and Works, and the City of St. John’s made a site visit to inspect asphalt on the Outer Ring Road.

Although all were experienced in safety, there was little in the way of safety precautions taken other than one truck with an amber bar light.

Motorists appeared confused, with the employees on both the right side of the highway and in the median.

One driver came up on the site and hit the brakes suddenly, and the vehicle struck three workers, resulting in the death of one.

An agreed statement of facts and recommendations for the sentence were submitted by the Crown and the defence.

In accepting the recommendations, Judge Lori Marshall said it “was an extremely troubling and serious matter.”

Marshall said looking at the photographs of the accident scene brings home how vulnerable the workers were on the Outer Ring Road that day with the insignificant safety measures.