Suncor Energy has been convicted and fined almost $100,000 after a worker was seriously injured on its Terra Nova FPSO almost five years ago.
It happened on Dec. 29, 2019, while the massive vessel was about 250 kilometres east of St. John’s.
Two workers were trying to enter a large, multi-level ballast tank to test for gas levels, when one of them fell almost eight meters, suffering a serious head injury and multiple fractures.
Court heard the man’s air supply backpack got hooked in something as he entered the tank, causing him to lose his balance and fall from a ladder. He was medevaced to the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s where he spent weeks recovering from surgeries.
Occupational health and safety charges were laid three years later, alleging the injured worker was not using a safety harness as required, and that others failed to wear proper safety gear while trying to rescue the unconscious man.
Suncor pleaded guilty and on Thursday was fined $45,000 for each count, part of a joint submission with the Crown. The maximum fine for each charge is $100,000.
The company was also ordered to donate $20,000 to College of the North Atlantic’s health and safety management program.
Associate Chief Provincial Court Judge Jennifer Mercer accepted that Suncor had no previous workplace violations in this province, though they have been convicted elsewhere, most recently for a fatal incident near Fort McMurray in 2022.
While the worker in this incident wasn’t killed, Suncor lawyer David Eaton conceded it was still “quite serious.”