When Wil Krotenko got his first part time job in the meat department of the local Co-op grocery store last summer, the then 14-year-old couldn't wait to start making his own money — never imagining the job could kill him a few months later.
The teen, who lives in Canora, Sask., about 235 kilometres northeast of Regina, says he started feeling sick soon after starting his shift on Oct. 23 when his manager tasked him with cleaning enclosed areas of the meat department with a gas-powered pressure washer.
"I started feeling lightheaded and dizzy," Wil told Go Public. He says he staggered to the front of the store. "And I guess that's when I collapsed."
His condition was so serious that Wil had to be airlifted to Misericordia Community Hospital in Edmonton with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.
His mom says he spent hours in a hyperbaric chamber, used in the most serious poisoning cases, so the high levels of carbon monoxide in his blood could be replaced with oxygen.
According to the Occupational Health and Safety report, carbon monoxide levels in the confined space where Wil was working were up to 60 times higher than what's considered safe over an eight hour period under Saskatchewan's occupational health regulations.
Despite all of that, the employer faced no consequences, aside from being told to fix the problems.
The lack of severe consequences for employers who put workers like Wil in danger is a longstanding problem in Canada, according to a workplace safety expert.
Sean Tucker, a professor of occupational health and safety at the University of Regina says that's because many provinces don't have the ability to issue hefty fines directly to workplaces that put employees in harm's way.
At the bottom of this article is another article.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/no-safety-programs-in-20-of-canadian-workplaces-1.6423333
A new survey suggests almost 20 per cent of Canadian businesses do not offer safety and orientation programs that are legally required for new workers in much of the country — a finding one labour law expert calls "shocking" and evidence of "widespread lawbreaking."
Yeah, this is perfect for canada. They can import temp workers and when they are maimed or killed, deport them or their family and be done with it. So AWESOME.
Hey at least for the teen they bothered to measure the air in the workplace. To this day I am still told by nova scotias WCB and their labor board that they dont have to test the air in the back of arcas shop where they decommission old fridges and freezers. At this point I dont even care if they hurt someone else, im dealing with my own problems. I warned them, no one cared.
Fucking canada, home of the criminals!
In the US, OSHA permits 50 ppm of carbon monoxide exposure for 8 continuous hours. Kids are much more sensitive to low levels than adults. Working in confined spaces has additional requirements for monitoring. His boss is a fool and it cost that kid his life. Even in the US the penalties are typically only monetary and rarely are criminal charges brought against an individual. This is a sad story that I hear of way too often. I enforce safety on my guys because I care about their lives. A competent supervisor is key to safety. I remind the guys often we work for a living, don't allow anyone to work you to death. I joke with them about how I can't let them get seriously injured or die because I have too much work to let them get off the hook that easy. More than 99% of my guys are immigrants and most likely don't have papers, but they are men that have families that depend on them. Work place safety is necessary for a civilized society