The case involving a fatal workplace incident at the Holyrood Terminal Station two years ago was called in provincial court this morning.
Bill Walsh (Courtesy Dunphy’s Funeral Home)
The tragic moments played out in the switchyard on August 10th of 2023, and claimed the life 69-year-old Bill Walsh, a longtime Hydro employee who lived nearby.
It’s believed he somehow came into contact with electricity in that yard.
The subsequent investigation involved the RCMP, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), leading to 10 charges being laid this past July under the OHS Act.
Nine of the charges, alleging various failures to prevent the death, were laid against NL Hydro, while electrical and mechanical supervisor Reg Day faces a single charge of failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of workers under his watch.
In provincial court this morning, seasoned lawyer David Eaton, representing Hydro, told Judge Rolf Pritchard that he just received the disclosure evidence against his client, and would need a few weeks to review it.
That was granted, and the case was set over until November 7th.
In response to the charges, Hydro said it was co-operating fully with the investigation, adding, quote, “This tragedy, involving one of our own, continues to weigh heavily on all of us.”
