Yellowknife, NT (June 30, 2023) – On June 28, 2023, Nogha Enterprises Ltd appeared in the Northwest Territories’ Territorial Court in Yellowknife and entered a guilty plea to two offences under the Northwest Territories’ Safety Act.
Nogha Enterprises Ltd. pleaded guilty to
- failing to ensure that work was sufficiently and competently supervised; and
- permitting an employee to work at an isolated worksite and failing to take reasonable measures to eliminate or reduce the hazards arising from the conditions and circumstances of that work and failing to establish an effective communication system.
They were issued a fine in the amount $100,000 to be paid to the Workers’ Protection Fund. Nogha Enterprises Ltd. was also put on a period of probation for 24 months, which includes a requirement to develop and implement a safety program for operators of powered mobile equipment.
The charges stem from an incident in which a worker was fatally injured on December 8, 2020. The worker was operating an excavator to dig a pit at a gravel quarry approximately 44 km north of Fort Simpson. The sidewall of the water-filled gravel pit collapsed and the excavator slid into the pit and the worker drowned.
On December 2, 2021, following an investigation, the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) originally filed nine charges against Nogha Enterprises Ltd., in violation of the Safety Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Pursuant to the plea agreement, the remaining charges were withdrawn.
Sarah McLeod
Manager, Communications
T: (867) 920-3854