Birchcliff Energy Ltd. has been ordered to pay $312,500 after pleading guilty to a workplace safety offence stemming from the death of a worker at an oil and gas site near Spirit River.Birchcliff pleaded guilty August 14 in Grande Prairie Court of Justice to one count under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act of failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker.All remaining charges against the oil and gas exploration and development company were withdrawn.The charge followed an October 10, 2023 incident at an oil and gas site west of Spirit River.A worker was obtaining water samples when they fell into a reservoir and died.The court imposed what Alberta's OHS legislation calls a creative sentence, directing the money to organizations and projects intended to improve workplace safety rather than imposing the entire amount as a conventional fine.Birchcliff was ordered to pay $200,000 to Energy Safety Canada to develop an industry awareness and training program addressing serious injury and fatality risks associated with surface water operations.Another $112,500 will go to Saddle Hills County Protective Services to develop surface ice water rescue training and help purchase ice water rescue equipment.The company and Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalty.Alberta's OHS legislation establishes workplace health and safety requirements for employers and provides protections for workers.Charges may be laid under the legislation when a failure to comply with workplace safety requirements results in serious injury or death.The OHS Act permits courts to impose creative sentences in which money that would otherwise be paid as fines is instead directed toward organizations or projects designed to promote or improve workplace health and safety.Victim fine surcharges apply to fines paid to the Crown but do not apply to payments made to other organizations under creative sentences.Sentence documents are available through Grande Prairie Court of Justice rather than the Department of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration.
