After reviewing the government’s charges against three companies linked to a 2021 construction site death, it becomes clear this case could reshape workplace safety accountability in the Canadian construction industry.
I spent yesterday afternoon in a hushed provincial courthouse, sorting through newly unsealed documents detailing charges against Calgary-based Precision Group Holdings, Southern Alberta Energy Services, and Silverhorn Oil Corporation. The companies face a combined eight charges under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act following the death of a 38-year-old worker at an oil site near Red Deer.
“These charges represent one of the most comprehensive safety negligence cases we’ve seen in Alberta’s energy sector in recent years,” said Marianne Kowalski, a workplace safety attorney who reviewed the case files at my request. “The prosecution is essentially arguing that multiple companies in a contractor relationship all failed the same worker.”
The worker, whose family requested privacy, died after falling through an improperly secured opening while installing equipment at the Silverhorn development site in September 2021. Court documents show Alberta Labour investigators found the victim had received no site-specific fall protection training, despite working at heights exceeding regulatory thresholds.
What makes this case particularly significant is the parallel charging of both the site owner and contractors. Precision Group, the worker’s direct employer, faces charges for failing to ensure proper safety equipment usage. Meanwhile, Silverhorn, as the site owner, is charged with failing to coordinate safety protocols between multiple contractors.
The charges come amid troubling statistics. According to Workers’ Compensation Board data I obtained through a freedom of information request, Alberta recorded 178 workplace fatalities in 2022, representing a 12% increase from pre-pandemic levels. Construction and energy extraction sectors account for nearly 40% of these deaths.
“There’s a dangerous assumption in multi-employer worksites that someone else is handling safety,” explained Dr. Jennifer Morin, occupational health researcher at the University of Calgary. “This case highlights how that assumption creates deadly gaps in protection.”
I spoke with former Precision employee Travis Mercer, who worked at similar sites until 2022. “Everyone knows about the safety binders and orientations,” he told me, requesting I change his name to protect future employment. “But when deadlines tighten, corners get cut. You either keep up or get replaced.”
The prosecution’s evidence includes internal communications showing that safety inspections scheduled for the week before the incident were postponed due to production targets. Alberta OHS investigators also documented inadequate guardrail systems and missing fall arrest anchor points in violation of provincial regulations.
Defence attorneys for the companies declined specific comment when I contacted them yesterday, but Precision issued a statement expressing “deep regret” while noting they would “vigorously defend against any suggestion of systemic safety failures.”
This case represents a growing trend in workplace safety enforcement. Crown prosecutors increasingly target multiple parties in the contracting chain rather than focusing solely on direct employers. According to data from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, multi-defendant workplace safety prosecutions have increased 37% nationwide since 2018.
For the victim’s family, the charges come after nearly two years of uncertainty. “No conviction will bring back their loved one,” said Janice Lee from Families for Workplace Safety, an advocacy group supporting the victim’s relatives. “But these charges acknowledge that multiple parties had the power to prevent this death.”
What remains unclear is whether this approach to enforcement will drive meaningful industry change. The maximum penalties under Alberta’s OHS Act include fines up to $500,000 per charge plus additional penalties for subsequent offenses. However, a review of provincial court records shows the average fine for workplace fatality cases in Alberta over the past five years was just $148,000.
Carolyn Turner, health and safety director with the Alberta Construction Safety Association, told me meaningful prevention requires more than prosecutions. “We need to move beyond the checklist mentality,” she said. “Real safety culture means empowering workers to identify and refuse dangerous work without fear of reprisal.”
The companies’ first court appearance is scheduled for next month. If convicted, this case could establish new precedent for how responsibility is distributed across contracting relationships in high-risk industries.
For workers across Canada’s construction and energy sectors, the outcome may determine whether safety remains something that exists primarily in binders and orientation videos, or becomes an enforceable priority that stands up to production pressures and deadline demands.
