Worksite fatality investigation summaries

Types of fatalities

Common types of fatal incidents investigated by Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) include:

falls
struck by objects
caught by objects
transportation incidents
exposure to harmful substances
fire and explosion

Motor vehicle accidents

If a reportable incident involving a motor vehicle occurs and a worker under provincial jurisdiction is injured, OHS investigates. Depending on the circumstances, OHS involvement can range from a full investigation to follow-up inspections and compliance checks.

Occupational disease fatalities

Deaths due to occupational disease are reported by a physician and included in provincial industry statistics.

Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB)

The Alberta WCB oversees the employer-funded insurance plan that pays injured or ill workers, when the injury or illness is work-related. Death benefits may also be paid from this insurance plan when a fatality is accepted as work-related by Alberta WCB.

WCB coverage is separate from OHS jurisdiction.

Examples:

A fatality occurs to a worker in a federally regulated industry on an Alberta work site. Although the worker may be covered by provincial WCB, the employer is under federal jurisdiction. This fatality would be investigated by federal OHS, not Alberta OHS.
A worker for an out-of-province company is fatally injured while temporarily working in Alberta. The incident may be investigated by OHS, but the fatality might be accepted under a different province’s compensation board.

Fatality investigation summaries

OHS publishes these fatality investigation summaries after investigations and all court proceedings, if any, are completed. Summaries are listed under the year in which the fatal incident occurred.

Any court proceedings resulting from work site fatalities must be completed before investigation summaries are published.

2023 Fatality summaries
- Worker fatally injured while working on a residential roof
  February 19, 2023
- Worker fatally injured after falling from trailer
  March 24, 2023
- Worker fatally injured after falling from ladder
  June 20, 2023
- Worker fatally injured when struck by pipe wrench
  November 17, 2023
2022 Fatality summaries
- Worker fatally injured by rolling vehicle
  Date of incident: January 4, 2022
- Worker fatally injured after two mine haul trucks collide
  Date of incident: January 6, 2022
- Worker fatally injured from entanglement in rotating equipment
  Date of incident: January 11, 2022
- Worker fatally injured when struck by object
  Date of incident: January 13, 2022
- Worker fatally injured in motor vehicle collision
  Date of incident: January 27, 2022
- Worker found deceased in water tank
  Date of incident: February 19, 2022
- Worker fatality injured when struck by object
  Date of incident: March 3, 2022
- Worker fatally injured in horse riding event
  Date of incident: June 26, 2022
- Worker drowned after falling out of a boat
  Date of incident: July 16, 2022
- Worker fatally injured by reversing vehicle
  Date of incident: August 18, 2022
- Worker fatally injured on construction site
  Date of incident: September 1, 2022
- Worker fatally injured when electrocuted
  Date of incident: September 8, 2022
- Worker fatally injured after being knocked off an asphalt paver
  Date of incident: September 28, 2022
- Worker fatally injured when crushed by boom arm
  Date of incident: December 5, 2022
2021 Fatality summaries
- Worker fatally injured when dozer breaks through ice
  Date of incident: January 13, 2021
- Worker fatally injured in Bow River
  Date of incident: February 18, 2021
- Worker fatally injured after being struck by excavator counterweight
  Date of incident: March 31, 2021
- Worker fatally injured – struck by object
  Date of incident: March 31, 2021
- Worker fatally injured when struck by school bus
  Date of incident: April 5, 2021
- Worker fatally injured after being struck by skid steer
  Date of incident: May 26, 2021
- Worker fatally injured in fall from extension ladder
  Date of incident: June 7, 2021
- Worker fatally injured in tractor rollover
  Date of incident: July 17, 2021
- Worker fatally injured after being buried by material in a bin
  Date of incident: July 23, 2021
- Worker fatally injured after a tank explosion
  Date of incident: July 26, 2021
- Worker fatally injured in fall from scaffold
  Date of incident: September 1, 2021
- Worker fatally injured doing electrical work
  Date of incident: September 10, 2021
- Worker fatally injured when struck by grain truck
  Date of incident: September 21, 2021
- Worker fatally injured after being struck by powered mobile equipment
  Date of incident: September 27, 2021
- Worker electrocuted
  Date of incident: September 29, 2021
- Worker fatally injured at landfill site
  Date of incident: October 11, 2021
- Worker fatally injured during pipe loading
  Date of incident: October 14, 2021
- Worker fatally injured when crushed by falling pipe
  Date of incident: October 30, 2021
- Worker fatally injured after exposure to paint fumes/vapours
  Date of incident: December 10, 2021
- Worker fatally injured in a grain bag roller
  Date of incident: December 10, 2021
- Worker electrocuted
  Date of incident: December 21, 2021
2020 Fatality summaries
- Worker fatally injured when run over by a rail car
  Date of incident: January 10, 2020
- Worker crushed by hydraulic equipment
  Date of incident: January 19, 2020
- Worker fatally injured when struck by a sliding loader
  Date of incident: February 7, 2020
- Worker fatally injured in electrical room
  Date of incident: February 13, 2020
- Worker fatally injured in fall from an aerial platform
  Date of incident: July 8, 2020
- Worker fatally injured in fall from tank trailer
  Date of incident: August 7, 2020
- Worker fatally attacked
  Date of incident: August 10, 2020
- Worker fatally injured by equipment rollover
  Date of incident: August 18, 2020
- Worker fatally injured from suspected fall from ladder
  Date of incident: August 21, 2020
- Worker fatally injured in fall from residential roof
  Date of incident: August 21, 2020
- Worker fatally injured when engulfed by coal pile
  Date of incident: August 27, 2020
- Worker fatally injured in trench collapse
  Date of incident: September 1, 2020
- Worker fatally injured falling into an excavation
  Date of incident: September 10, 2020
- Worker fatally injured after falling from scaffolding
  Date of incident: October 5, 2020
- Worker fatally crushed under portable classroom
  Date of incident: October 9, 2020
- Worker fatally injured after fall from ladder
  Date of incident: November 16, 2020
- Worker fatally injured after fall from building
  Date of incident: December 12, 2020
- Worker fatally injured pinned between a truck and gate
  Date of incident: December 19, 2020
- Two workers fatally injured when light vehicle struck by dozer
  Date of incident: December 28, 2020
- Police officer fatally injured during traffic stop
  Date of incident: December 31, 2020
2019 Fatality summaries
- Worker fatally injured when struck with concrete block
  Date of incident: February 19, 2019
- Worker fatally struck by equipment
  Date of incident: March 1, 2019
- Worker fatally injured after fall from height
  Date of incident: March 4, 2019
- Worker fatally injured after being struck by bulldozer
  Date of incident: March 10, 2019
- Worker fatally injured while operating equipment
  Date of incident: March 11, 2019
- Worker fatally injured after being stuck by falling pipe
  Date of incident: March 15, 2019
- Fatality – worker drowned in dugout
  Date of incident: March 18, 2019
- Worker struck by vehicle suffers fatal injuries
  Date of incident: April 29, 2019
- Workers fatally injured from frac sand bin collapse
  Date of incident: May 7, 2019
- Worker fatally injured in a farm tractor rollover
  Date of incident: May 20, 2019
- Fatality – Worker pinned under a delivery truck
  Date of incident: June 20, 2019
- Telehandler tipped over and fatally injured worker
  Date of incident: June 26, 2019
- Worker fatally injured after being struck by vehicle
  Date of incident: July 3, 2019
- Worker fatally crushed by falling I-beams
  Date of incident: July 8, 2019
- Worker fatally injured from equipment tip over
  Date of incident: August 29, 2019
- Worker fatally injured when lowering a raised vehicle
  Date of incident: September 20, 2019
- Worker fatally struck by equipment handler
  Date of incident: September 23, 2019
- Worker fatally injured by violent attack
  Date of incident: October 25, 2019
- Worker fatally exposed to natural gas
  Date of incident: November 7, 2019
- Worker fatality – Engulfed by grain
  Date of incident: November 20, 2019
- Worker fatally injured when pinned between a vehicle and a gate
  Date of incident: November 24, 2019
- Worker fatally injured from falling granite slabs
  Date of incident: November 29, 2019
- Worker fatally injured falling from roof
  Date of incident: December 15, 2019
2018 Fatality summaries
- Worker collapsed and suffered fatal injury
  Date of incident: January 22, 2018
- Worker fatally injured after hydrogen sulphide exposure
  Date of incident: January 27, 2018
- Worker fatally injured in mixer machine
  Date of incident: January 30, 2018
- Struck by equipment
  Date of incident: February 19, 2018
- Worker fatally injured when struck by equipment
  Date of incident: February 20, 2018
- Worker fatally injured while setting up a vehicle to be towed
  Date of incident: March 7, 2018
- Worker fatally injured from scissor lift tip over
  Date of incident: April 10, 2018
- Worker fatally injured during criminal assault
  Date of incident: April 17, 2018
- Worker fatally injured after being pinned in the equipment
  Date of incident: May 11, 2018
- Worker fatally injured after being crushed under quartz slabs
  Date of incident: May 25, 2018
- Worker fatally injured when working under a vehicle
  Date of incident: June 18, 2018
- Worker fatally injured operating a skid steer
  Date of incident: June 19, 2018
- Worker and child struck by equipment
  Date of incident: August 14, 2018
- Worker fatally injured by parkade door
  Date of incident: August 17, 2018
- Worker fatally injured after being run over by an excavator
  Date of incident: September 18, 2018
- Worker fatally injured falling from truck
  Date of incident: October 16, 2018
- Worker fatally injured when caught between dumper and guard
  Date of incident: October 23, 2018
- Worker fatally injured after well site explosion
  Date of incident: October 23, 2018
- Worker fatally injured by fall from roof
  Date of incident: October 29, 2018
- Worker fatally injured in trench collapse
  Date of incident: October 30, 2018
- Worker fatally injured after slip and fall in parking lot
  Date of incident: November 5, 2018
- Three workers fatally injured in cryogenic cooler
  Date of incident: November 15, 2018
- Worker fatally injured when pinned by workpiece
  Date of incident: November 17, 2018
- Worker falls from roof
- Date of incident: November 28, 2018
- Explosion results in welder fatality
  Date of incident: December 27, 2018
2017 Fatality summaries
- Fatality – Snowplow rollover
  Date of incident: January 1, 2017
- Worker fatally injured after falling from a roof
  Date of incident: January 19, 2017
- Worker fatally crushed by lumber
  Date of incident: February 1, 2017
- Fatality – Fall from an A-frame ladder
  Date of incident: April 19, 2017
- Worker fatally injured by falling concrete wall
  Date of incident: June 2, 2017
- Worker fatally injured when struck by chain
  Date of incident: June 6, 2017
- Worker fatally crushed under equipment
  Date of incident: June 13, 2017
- Worker fatally injured after fall from roof
  Date of incident: July 24, 2017
- Worker fatally injured when struck by pipe
  Date of Incident: August 3, 2017
- Worker drowns when riding lawnmower slides into pond
  Date of Incident: August 3, 2017
- Worker fatally crushed in hay bale transfer system
  Date of incident: August 16, 2017
- Worker fatally injured by a steer while loading cattle
  Date of incident: August 17, 2017
- Worker fatally injured after being struck by load
  Date of incident: September 12, 2017
- Worker fatally injured by forklift
  Date of incident: September 19, 2017
- Worker fatally injured operating a skid steer
  Date of incident: September 25, 2017
- Volunteer struck by tree
  Date of incident: September 25, 2017
- Worker dies from allergic reaction
  Date of incident: October 2, 2017
- Worker fatally injured after being struck by vehicle
  Date of incident: October 6, 2017
- Worker fatally injured after fall from barn roof trusses
  Date of incident: October 12, 2017
- Worker fatally injured when struck by equipment
  Date of incident: October 16, 2017
- Trench collapse (fatality)
  Date of incident: October 20, 2017
- Worker fatally injured by asphalt paver
  Date of Incident: October 26, 2017
- Worker fatally injured from a fall from height
  Date of incident: November 1, 2017
- Worker fatality – Excavation collapse
  Date of incident: November 10, 2017
- Worker fatally crushed between precast concrete panels
  Date of incident: November 25, 2017
- Worker fatality injured falling off equipment
  Date of incident: November 29, 2017
- Worker fatally injured loading a logging truck
  Date of incident: December 18, 2017
- Worker fatally exposed to carbon monoxide
  Date of incident: December 19, 2017

Visit fatality investigation summaries for access to summaries prior to 2017

Disclaimer: In case of any inconsistency between this information and the OHS Act, Regulation or Code, the legislation will always prevail.

Contact

Connect with OHS:

Phone: 780-415-8690 (Edmonton)
Toll free: 1-866-415-8690
TTY: 780-427-9999 (Edmonton)
TTY: 1-800-232-7215

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Worksite fatality investigation summaries

Types of fatalities

Motor vehicle accidents

Occupational disease fatalities

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Fatality investigation summaries

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Types of fatalities

Motor vehicle accidents

Occupational disease fatalities

Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB)

Fatality investigation summaries

2023 Fatality summaries

2022 Fatality summaries

2021 Fatality summaries

2020 Fatality summaries

2019 Fatality summaries

2018 Fatality summaries

2017 Fatality summaries

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