The Hamlet of Qikiqtarjuaq has been placed on 18 months “corporate probation” following a 2019 violation of the Nunavut Safety Act.
The punishment was handed out in the Nunavut Court of Justice after the municipality pleaded guilty to a single count of failing to comply with several directives from the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC). The May 2019 incident involved a failure to inspect, maintain and have a qualified individual recertify an aerial lifting device.
Workers for the hamlet were seen unlawfully operating an aerial device lifting unit, defying a stop-use order, according to the WSCC. It was also alleged that the municipality failed to comply with directives pertaining to training of employees, labelling of hazardous substances and the storage of compressed gas cylinders.
The probation will compel the hamlet to report to the chief safety officer “about compliance with safety legislation and to develop and implement an ongoing training program for employees of the municipality that includes mandated fall prevention training and supervisor familiarization training. This sentence permits the WSCC to monitor the hamlet’s progress over an extended period of time and is an alternative to a monetary fine,” the WSCC stated in a May 31 news release.