Gahcho Kue Contractor Fined $145,000 over Worker's Death
August 01, 24
(IDEX Online) - A contractor at the Gahcho Kue diamond mine, in Canada, has been fined CAN$200,000 (US$145,000) after a worker died of crush injuries.
Max Paczulla, 27, was inspecting and testing the ladder hydraulics on a boarding ladder for a huge Komatsu 830E haul truck in September 2022 when he was pinned between the ladder rail and part of the truck. He later died of his injuries.
SMS Equipment Ltd, a contractor at the De Beers owned mine, pleaded guilty to one offense under the Northwest Territories' Safety Act when it appeared before an N.W.T. territorial court.
According to the charging documents, Paczulla was "crushed in the head and neck area between the rail of the boarding ladder and truck guardrail toe plate".
There were no hazard recognition or warning signs of a pinch point, said the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission, a government agency in a statement, and SMS did not conduct its own workplace safety inspection of the haul truck.
De Beers has since installed protective screens on the haul ladders and posted hazard signs.
Pic shows a Komatsu 830E haul truck.